


The Volturi: A Sequel to the Twilight Series - Chapter 1

by Yacove



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-29
Updated: 2014-07-29
Packaged: 2018-02-10 22:31:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 64,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2042742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yacove/pseuds/Yacove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The Volturi" attempts to create an alternative ending to the Twilight series that answers many questions, such as where are the characters now? It is a very quick and captivating piece that is sure to keep your attention to the very end! Note: the story is written in the perspective of the two main protagonists, David (episodes) and Bradley (chapters).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter I - Goodbyes

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Twilight world, which is trademarked by Stephenie Meyer. Many of the characters in this story are created and owned by Stephenie Meyer, and I do not claim ownership over them or the world of Twilight. The story and situation I am creating is a work of imagination and I do not ascribe them to an official story canon. Further, this is a work intended for entertainment outside the official storyline owned by the author. The story I tell here is my own invention and is not purported or believed to be part of Stephenie Meyer's story canon. This story is for entertainment only and is not a part of the official story line. I am not profiting financially from the creation and publication of this story. I am grateful to Stephenie Meyer for her wonderful stories, for without her books, my story would not exist. 

Chapter I - Goodbyes  
"Are you sure you want to go to NEW HAMPSHIRE?" the voice echoed in my head. Of course I didn't want to go to some snowy mountains where precipitation is more than expected every day of the week. But what I did look forward to was being in a state where the population count was one of the lowest in the countries. I believe New Hampshire's population averaged in at the 41st state within the entirety of America. Plus, who would deny themselves the amazing education of Dartmouth University. Actually, I would, but getting accepted into Dartmouth had given me the greatest excuse to go to this no-name state that everyone knew I hated. It meant being able to leave all the pain and suffering that I knew so well in New York, all that I wanted to get rid of from my life. I would start over in the isolated state, and I would ensure that I make no mistakes. Keep to yourself, I always remind myself.  
"But...are you sure you just want to leave everything behind?" the one person I actually cared about kept pushing me. He looked at me with his honey-brown eyes, filled with anxiety, worry, and most of all, lachrymose. My brother was the only thing I didn't want to leave behind, but this was an all or nothing deal. The problems in my life had grown to the point that I would have to make some sacrifices for another shot at happiness. The biggest sacrifice being abandoning my twin.  
"Dave, you know I want nothing less than for you to come with me," I consoled my other half. But I knew that was impossible. He had crafted a great life for himself in the city that was both grandeur and beautiful to him. While I lived in wretched agony, despising this noisome town, David had successfully become an entrepreneur, and he couldn’t leave his budding career now. We had never been separated for extended periods ever since we were in the womb. That was what? 20 years now?  
"Seriously Brad...NEW HAMPSHIRE?" I had to look away from the face, usually sanguine and plucky, now sweeping over with the agony of our prospective 4-year separation. I could feel the pain resonating inside me; our bond was strong enough for me to know how he felt, to empathize completely and feel the aching in his heart. Of course, I felt it too.  
"You know you HATE snow and cold and rain..." he kept trying to persuade me. He knew it was a lost cause. Once I made up my mind, I wouldn't change it. David was one of the most convincing people I knew, very articulate and powerful with his speech – something that proved beyond valuable in the business world - but I was one of the few people that his abilities never phased. I guess that was due to my own special abilities where, for some reason, I seemed to get what I always wanted as long as I truly wanted it to happen. Even impossible things, like getting into Dartmouth.  
"Dave, I want to go," I half-lied. I knew I couldn't lie to my own brother, but I also knew that he was aware of the reasons I wanted to leave and thus would not force me to stay. We struggled together in the confusion of New York, but unlike him I could not find success. He had strenuously overcome all the challenges that we faced together, but I was stuck. Somewhere along the obstacle of life, I tripped and got caught in a net while he ran on freely. I had to get out and start a new life, or die miserably in the depressing trap. It didn't help that I somehow felt like I was holding him back.  
"Brad..." reluctantly, he lost the battle. In my mind, my ticket was already purchased and I was already in Dartmouth. These decisions had been ingrained into my life, and once that happened, no maelstrom could inundate my intentions. Not even one as powerful as the love of my only remaining relative and my only friend.  
"Will you drive me to the airport or do I have to call a cab?" I muttered with hostility. I was being both petty and childish, perhaps the worst anyone could treat an angel like David, but I had to leave. I had to cut the cord that bound us tightly together so that I could finally set my wings and fly away from this nightmare. I had to leave New York City before it killed me.  
"You don't even have to ask me that," he replied sharply, obviously hurt by my remark. "But do you really think..." he stopped. We both knew what he wanted to say, but he held himself back, knowing that it would only anger me and make me jump instantly into a taxi to get out of the apartment we shared since our escape from the treacherous foster home. We were all that was left of our tiny family, and we tried to stay close and protect each other, and it hurt me most knowing that I was betraying my brother's trust and leaving him unprotected, alone.  
The ride to the airport was very quiet. There was a lot that I wanted to say, but I couldn't speak, being completely enervated from our past argument. I knew that David felt the same, but with him, there was no need to talk. I could feel everything he felt, and he could hear everything I thought. People build special relationships when they share their entire life together, particularly when they share a placenta. The thing he desired most at the moment was for me to keep the promise I made when we were kids.  
We were the luckiest people alive, being born into the world with a best friend when most people had to spend their entire lives searching for one person to count on. We told each other we would never split up and always be there for each other. I was the one breaking that promise, leaving my brother behind. I was selfishly leaving New York, our relationship the price I had to pay to run away from everything else. I was a coward and I was throwing my selfless brother into the currents of the ocean, alone in a world we were supposed to battle together. He would never throw this in my face or make me feel guilty for my decision; he wasn't selfish as I was. But it was more than apparent that I had wounded him beyond repair.  
"Here we are..." his voice had broken me out of my chain of thoughts.  
"I'm s-" I began, but he shook his head. He knew more than I, how sorry I really was. He looked into my eyes with the identical pair of golden-brown, and unexpectedly, he pulled me into a tight grasp. As brothers for 20 years, he had hugged me only one other time, and I had to bite my lips to prevent the tears from coming out. I wouldn't let him see me cry, not anymore.  
"I get summers and holidays," he muttered through gritted teeth, still holding onto me. I feared he would never let me go.  
"Every one of them," I promised. It was the least I could do. With that, he let me go. I cut the red thread that kept us together until now and severed our relationship in a way that we never experienced. I wondered if things would be completely different now, but I couldn't let that stop me. I had to escape before it was too late.


	2. Chapter II - Myth Busters

Dartmouth was everything that I had expected. Tons of homework, terrible weather, and every bit as isolated as I wanted it to be. I shared my dorm room with a nerd who loved World of Warcraft and kept to his computer every waking moment of his life, which allowed me the complete freedom that I wanted. My course load was filled with science classes, so in a premier school like Dartmouth, I really didn't have to worry about making friends. Whenever we had to do group assignments, it was mostly lab work and you could really work with whomever you wanted, never having to speak to them again after the work was done. It was especially easy for me to find a partner, for I could find the laziest person in the class and promise them an A if they stayed out of my life. People like my roommate were perfect for such relationships I enjoyed: the fake kinds.  
What caught me off guard in the otherwise dullness of the heavyset gray clouds was the pulchritude of the mysterious couple with ashen, marble skin like the pristine snow on the mountaintops. People always praised the honey-sweet color of the eyes my brother and I shared, but the shining topaz of these two made our eyes look like mud. It was obvious that the entire school envied them, a paragon of perfection. Two modelesque beauties who walked together, hand-in-hand as though they never wanted to let each other go; their faces seemed like the most beautiful thing in the world, until you saw their love for each other, glowing flawlessly, making even the Star of India look like a dull stone.  
But it wasn't their beauty that struck me most. It was some of their unique features like their satin skin that shared the milky-marble of Galatea herself, the florid eyes that fluctuated from the fullness of a golden topaz to the opaque ebony of a moonless night. The trilling voices that seemed melodically inhuman, the absolute panache in the way they walked, flightless, weightless, like swans fluttering on the surface of the water. Above all else, was the exuberant smell, that rupturing odor, a floral enigma; the trance that it sent everyone into, just wanting to get closer for more. That was a scent that no human skin could hold. Perhaps it was envy, but something in me told me these two were far from normal. I had to find out more about them.  
"Binary Fission," the perfect male responded in his perfect voice, almost instantly after the professor had asked his question.  
"Very good," the professor seemed astonished, but quickly composed himself before he continued on with the boring lecture about bacteria and their cycle of replication. The two never separated. The girl held the other's hand under the table, to not be disrespectful in the classroom by flaunting their love. They were the ideal of everything, even morality; it was cloying. The male was just as bored as I was, probably knowing all this material already, but the female seemed lost. Not that it would matter as he would probably teach everything to her in the ample time they spent together.  
"Don't be crazy!" my brother would laugh at me when I told him about these two and my theories of their being something out of the ordinary. "There are a lot of beautiful people in the world." He would say, but I knew that he would agree with me if he saw them, or was at least close enough to me to read my facial expressions. My brother and I almost never disagreed, and he didn't want to start now. Thus, he kept his disparagement to a minimum. Sometimes he would join in and ask me how the "vampires" were doing on the rare occasion that it was sunny in Hanover. I would tell him I didn't know, for those were days that I never saw them. It was rumored that every sunny day and almost every weekend, these two would go on camping trips or mountain-climbing with their families. I didn't know how true these rumors were, but clearly I was skeptical. My brother stopped mocking me after I told him about this, and I wondered if he actually started to believe in superstitions as much as I had.  
The next day was sunny, and as expected, the two didn't show up to biology class. I was bored, having nothing to do. Normally, I examined the two, trying to piece everything together. My love for mythology and folklore probably drove me to the extreme, making me crazy and delusional, but if true mystical creatures existed in the world, it would make me ecstatic. I remembered that the two barely moved, and occasionally shifted a leg or arm, and blinked every few seconds, but their movements were too perfunctory to be believable. It was as though they counted in their mind, and reminded themselves to blink every 20 seconds and do some artificial movement every 5 minutes. I wanted to find out more about them, or at least have the opportunity to communicate with them. As I made this decision, what my brother called my "special talent" kicked in.  
"Mr. Perez," the professor's voice stirred me from my daydreaming. "Could you do me a favor and give these course packets to Mr. and Mrs. Cullen? It is very important for them to have it for their next lab, and I know you share the same lab class."  
"Yes, sure, no problem," I couldn't believe it. It was times like this where I actually believed in my nut-head brother and this crazy book he tried to convince me to read. In many ancient shamanistic societies, twins were thought of as magickal creatures born with some innate abilities, always yin and yang, always balancing each other out. He thought his manipulative ways were actually a gift, and my knack for always getting what I want was more than just luck. Together, he would always joke when we were kids: we controlled the physical and mental world. He could mind-control all the bumbling idiots and set their heads straight while I could design an ideal future for us to share. We were quite the entity. I laugh now, but we had a lot of fun as kids "ruling" the world. Now, I could never imagine having the weight of the world in my hands. I hated people too much.  
Given this opportunity, I wasn't going to wait until lab class where there would be another 30 students preventing me from speaking to the Cullens. I wanted a little privacy to try and poke at the corners of the jigsaw I was working on; the "Cullen Enigma" was what my brother and I coined it after some semi-serious conversations over the phone. I knew where they lived - everyone knew where they lived: right outside the campus in a small apartment building. Only the richest of the Dartmouth students could afford those rooms, so everyone knew all the students who lived there, whether it was from jealousy or because they all wanted to be friends with the rich guys.  
I knocked on their door, knowing they probably would not be here since they were on another "sunny day hiking trip," but to my surprise, I heard a voice from inside. It wasn't the sing-song voice of the tenor male, nor the female's voice, but a different one, just as melodic, but more a soprano trill.   
"Come in," the magickal voice said, almost as though expecting me.  
"I'm sorry to bother," I mumbled as I opened the door. I gasped as I stumbled into the room, gawking at the eclectic pieces of furniture. A variety of colors embellished the room, yet in a flawless fashion that complemented each other. Mahogany wood of the colonial era encasing china that had to be from centuries before. The Persian rug on the floor with its verdant green and incarnadine flora matched perfectly with a dark painting of four men, three older and one young blonde, hanging on the pale-blue wall. This painting drew me into a trance.  
I stared intently at the four men, towering like royalty, two sitting on ostentatious thrones to the right and left of a less beautiful man in the center. A blonde was off to a corner, his face turned with an expression that seemed as though he lifted right out of the painting. The aged man in the center stared dead at me, his avaricious eyes glowing a violent red, and I feared that he would come out of the picture and jump at me, pulling me into the throne room to do as he wished with my helpless body. He looked weak and powerless, yet something about his stature had a commanding order.  
"Hi," a voice ripped me out of my thoughts. It had come from a perky girl with long, flowing hair. She could not have been more than 6 years old. She shared the same marble, perfect features of the other two, but she had some brightness in her cheeks, drastically different from Edward and Bella.   
“Hi,” I smiled. I was always comforted by the presence of children. Their innocence was something to admire, not yet jaded by the maladies of the world. Both Dave and I were forced to skip through our childhood, and my desire to reclaim the lost time and experience a life void of problems made me great with kids.  
“This is a beautiful place,” I said, still awed by the expected magnificence of their home.  
"Thank you," the female from my class walked into the room, for once not glued onto the male. Even in a simple blouse and jeans, she exuded a presence of glory and panache, erupting in the beauty of which made me feel duller than I ever could.   
“Dr. Phillips wanted me to hand these course packets to you guys,” I added slowly, now feeling self-conscious in my Old Navy jeans and a shirt that I probably got at some Wal-Mart. Could she tell that the total price of my outfit probably cost less than a single sock that she wore? The thought made me more nervous, and I shuffled uneasily on my feet. I was surrounded by too much aesthetic beauty that I started to feel like a giant ogre, spilling the mud of my ugliness into the unstained, palatial castle. I walked awkwardly towards the perfect girl to hand her the papers, and halted in fear when she gagged and started coughing wildly.  
"Bella!" her male counterpart was quickly at her side, holding her tightly and resting her head into his chest. Had he been there the whole time? No, I couldn't have missed that, but if he wasn't there, how could he get to her so fast? Perhaps I was so anxious that I had not noticed that he was standing by her the entire time, but if that were true, why had he not voiced a hello? I assumed he was there the entire time and disliked my vapid presence in his glorious home.   
"Are you alright?" he asked her softly, placing his hands on her cheek.   
"Yes, Edward" she mumbled, along with other words I could barely hear. All I could catch was "smell" and some other nonsense, and I wondered if I reeked of some odor that made her cough up. While I was very concerned with my hygiene, compared to the sweet aroma that came from these two, it was expected that I smelled like a wet dog. I wished that I had stolen some of David's more extravagant clothes and some cologne, but it was too late for that now. I stood miserably in the middle of flawless extravagance.   
"Thank you for bringing those for us," Edward said, an affected smile on his face. I never made a great first impression, but even to a hermit like myself, I thought Edward's attitude was a bit harsh.  
"You're welcome..." I mumbled nervously, placing the documents on the coffee table. Bella took a noticeable step backwards, corroborating my fear that a noisome cloud enveloped me. Regardless of the fact that I felt unwelcome, I wanted to ask them as many questions as I could without sounding like some psycho, but I couldn't think of any way to phrase them without sounding like I was implying they were anything more than humans. I shuddered as Edward glowered at me when this thought came to mind.  
"I think you should leave," he said too sharply. Wordlessly, I seemed to have offended him yet again.  
"Edward! Don't be rude," Bella defended me. "He did us a favor, he came all the way out here for us."  
"I'm sorry," he said to me, the perfunctory smile returning to his face. I could have sworn he quickly muttered something to the girl, but they moved so fast I couldn't tell if it was just my tired eyes. Perhaps it was the mixture of my torpor, psychotic desire for magick to exist in the world, and my extreme discomfort that caused me to imagine things like Edward appearing out of nowhere.   
"Thank you," Bella said to me, covering her nose and mouth with her hands, trying to be subtle, but blatantly obvious even to my listless eyes. I guess I really did offend her senses. As kind and humble as the two royals were, a dirty peasant like myself was not their first choice in company.   
"Unless there is something else we missed, we bid you farewell, Bradley," Edward said kindly, though I could sense a tone of irritation in his otherwise mellifluous voice.   
"Y-yeah...see you in class," I mumbled hesitantly and walked out of the room too quickly to hide my fear. As I headed back to my room, I wondered why he had called me Bradley. Everyone I knew called me Brad. I hated my full name, and all my professors had a tendency to call me Perez, since I had a typical Hispanic last name that they could effortlessly remember. I guess it wasn't much of a stretch to figure out that Brad was short for Bradley, and whether he figured this out or not, it was a common mistake that anyone could make. My mind was being too creative, and I had to stop before I went overboard. But I couldn't understand what had caused Edward's sudden shift in personality during our little meeting. I wanted to believe that this too was my thoughts going beyond acceptable limits, and my next class certainly didn't help me hone in on reality.  
"So can anyone tell me anything they know about Vampires?" Ms. Bernardo, my Myth and Folklore teacher asked us today. When I was first registering for classes, I figured this class would be very interesting and fun, as I loved mythology, magick, and anything out of the ordinary. But as I slowly crept closer to being tossed into a psychiatric ward, this class did no service. I was starting to get annoyed, as I actually wanted to try and forget about the whole inhuman craziness that was muddling my mind, and this discussion threw me over the edge. Great.  
"They drink blood!" one student said.  
"They melt in the sun!" another girl shouted out, and I scowled. That was one of the stupid things humanity believed in that most ancient folklore never mention.  
"Actually, Vampires can do very well in the sun," our professor went on. "They just prey at night to keep incognito. Some folklore actually call the vampires "Diamond-Skinned" because their skin is thought to reflect sunlight in a sublime way. Other folklore include eyes that change colors, and many aspects that make them very attractive to humans to draw in their prey." The woman smiled. "They have floral scents, like the sweet honey that draws insects to the beautiful petals that cascade radiance, along with the heavenly siren's voice that lulls you ever closer to the transient bliss of inexorable death," she hissed the last part, causing some students to jump up in their seats.   
Of course everything the professor was saying matched the description of the Cullens: their eyes, alluring voice and looks, the avoiding of the sun. But maybe all this was a coincidence and I truly was losing my mind. But then she said something that even I never knew about vampires, though I spent considerable time in my room researching them; another crazy thing I did since meeting the Cullens.  
"Some folklore even states that vampires can acquire certain...abilities for a lack of better word," she went on. "Some ancient Latin and Mayan scriptures talk about things like mind-control, shock, and even mind-reading."  
Mind-reading...I thought back to the little episode I had with Edward and Bella. They were both so kind, until I thought about whether they were really humans or not. If Edward were a mind-reader, he surely would have reacted negatively towards my thoughts if he wanted to remain incognito as vampires tried to be. In addition, he would easily figure out my name was Bradley, he would certainly know that I was studying him and his lover almost incessantly, and thus would be both hostile and unfriendly during our encounters. Could I really be piecing together these things so intelligently, or once again was I being sucked into my delusional thought? And why had Bella not acted hostile to me? Was it only Edward who could read thoughts? It wouldn’t be surprising with his vast knowledge on every subject and his ability to answer questions almost instantaneously. I decided to call my brother for another reality check.  
"What?" my brother chuckled loudly when I got back to my dorm. I had to pull the phone away from my ears due to the intensity of his laugh.  
"That bad, huh?" I mumbled, slightly embarrassed at how delusional I had become.  
"Think about it, Brad," David tried to muffle his laughs to speak coherently. "Mind-reading vampires? Really? I always knew you were crazy, but now you're just losing it!"  
"Yeah...I guess so..." I mumbled. I knew how deranged I sounded, but something was telling me that I was right. I wasn't one to betray my gut instincts either, so no matter how much I thought I deserved to be put into a straightjacket and thrown into solitary confinement, I had to keep digging.  
"I'm not getting through to you at all, am I?" my brother chuckled.  
"I thought mind-reading was a joke?" I challenged.  
"Not for us," if I were with him, he would have winked at me. It was true, we did have a special twin bond. If something that sounds as ridiculous as "twinship bonds" could be true, the Cullens being vampires couldn't be as incredulous as it seemed. I could remember numerous times when I tried to lie to my brother, and before the words could come out of my mouth, he would catch me in the act. Of course, it didn't help that I was a terrible liar, but even my deceptive brother, full of guile and mischief couldn't keep secrets from me. He could fool even the keenest friends he had, but I could see through him clearly. If authors could write stories about twins sharing mystical bonds and powers and actually be taken seriously, I could believe that a pair of flawless beings could be vampires, and not be ridiculed. 

Another boring day in biology. Why? Because once again it was sunny. I was losing my abilities to get what I wanted because surely I wanted to see the Cullens as much as possible. They had shown up to lab the other day and finished the procedure with mercurial speed and left instantly, leaving me with no chance to speak to them. Were they trying to avoid me or were they trying to get a head start on their "camping" trip which I was beginning to think was also fake.  
"Mr. Perez?" I heard my professor call my name, but I heard nothing else before this. I looked at him blankly wondering if he had asked me a question or just said my name. I felt my face flush slightly and I knew that I was definitely blushing as others in the class began to chuckle.  
"Please pay attention, this is very important," he smirked. I thought this was college and not high school; I couldn't believe that professors actually cared when students weren't paying attention. While Dr. Phillips was pretty different from most professors, it still annoyed me that he chose me as his guinea pig.  
"As I was saying," he continued. "The citric acid cycle is very important in organisms that undergo respiration..." again his voice started to trail off as I thought of the possibilities of the Cullens. If they were vampires, didn't they have to feed? Did they feed on students here or did they go out to hunt? Maybe they never went on camping trips and went to hunt humans, but if nobody knew about them and no murders that I know of have been reported recently, then they must have a really smart hunting track. Maybe killing singles and homeless guys, but that would require a lot of research and/or luck. I wondered...  
"Mr. Perez," he did it again and my irritation was growing to infinite limits.  
"I don't know, ribulose bisphosphate?" I muttered sarcastically. That was a classic favorite in the citric acid cycle. I wondered if he was still on the same topic or if he had moved on, making my response as idiotic as my blank stares from before. I couldn't keep track of time when I went off on trips to my manic mind.  
"Yes! Thank you!" Dr. Phillips was ecstatic as he continued rambling on about the many transformations the carbon chain goes through. I could feel some of my classmates glowering at me, but I didn't really care. I decided I would make another visit to the Cullens today.  
"Yay! Bradley is here!" I heard that trilling soprano voice again after the door slammed open and the little six year old - who has grown considerably - hugged one of my legs. It sounded as if she knew I was coming, but how would she know?  
"Hi there," I smiled. "How do you know my name?"  
"You came here before!" she said nonchalantly as though I should have known. I picked her up and realized that she too had a sweet aroma like the Cullens. Her skin was extremely warm, and her heart was racing away. If I didn't know any better, she must have been quite ill. It also occurred to me that she was warm and had a heartbeat while vampires were normally cold and heartless. Was I wrong? I had never heard anything about vampire children either, so maybe they raised human children and converted them when they were old? Or did they find random orphan children to harbor in their homes, and feed on them during desperate times? That seemed monstrous, but vampires weren't known to be the kindest creatures and that would be a flawless way to feed inconspicuously. What I did know was that this child was too warm, her heart beating much too fast, and she shared the same inhumane features as the Cullens. She also grew at a phenomenal pace. I concluded that she could not be human.  
"You feel a little warm, are you ill?" I asked.  
"No! I'm fine!" she chirped excitedly.   
“That’s good,” I smiled brightly. “What’s your name?”  
“I’m Nessie!”  
“Wow, what a beautiful name,” I said as I lifted her up into the air, causing her to giggle in glee. "I want to ask you something secret," I whispered to her.  
"I know!" she smiled happily and slowly extended her little hand out to my cheek. As her warm hand grazed my right cheek, a sudden image flashed through my mind. She was running around happily in the snow with an olive-skinned man. His hard features and dark eyes showed signs of a difficult life, but the radiant joy that flowed out of that perfect smile proved that even those who face the toughest loss, can once again find happiness. Like I had done, he picked up Nessie and tossed her into the air, causing her to squeal in glee as she called out his name: Jacob. For a second I thought she would call out my name.  
"Nessie!" Edward suddenly appeared, grabbing the child out of my arms. Again, I was bewildered by his insane agility. "I'm sorry about that." He smiled his usual smile at me. I was a bit shaken and muddled at what had just happened. Was I daydreaming or was I able to see Nessie’s mind? If the latter were true, did she share her thoughts with me or was I somehow able to questionably see through her mind and peer at her thoughts? I had just learned about mind-reading, but that was not something I never thought I would be able to do.   
"Sorry about what? She's just adorable," I grinned at Nessie, trying to ignore what had just occurred. The young girl squealed in joy and it seemed she really liked attention. I heard Edward whisper something that I could barely hear and put her down on the ground. The little Nessie slumped silently to the couch and sat there quietly as if scolded.  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get her in trouble," I frowned.   
"Don't worry, no trouble," he looked at her quickly before turning his attention back to me. "How can I help you today?" His intense gaze made me nervous, particularly because his eyes were deep ebony today, with just a hint of gold. I already knew he disliked me, and his insipid eyes made the twisting feeling in my stomach crunch tighter and I struggled to keep the contents of my lunch from soiling their rug that I could not afford to replace.  
"I just wanted to drop off some notes that you might need," I lied. Even if he weren’t a mind reader, he'd know that I was lying. I wished that I were more like my brother, conniving, not in a bad way, but in a way that he could get any person to believe him.   
"Thanks, but that wasn't necessary," he chuckled lightly, easing my tension. I thought of some questions I would have asked him if I wasn't pusillanimous, but I figured if he could read minds he'd already know I wondered if he was a vampire. Again, his expression changed. Either he was bipolar or he really did read minds and reacted violently to my thoughts.  
"Was there anything else?" he asked, suddenly impatient.  
"I wanted to ask you something," I mumbled, nervously.  
"Yes?" he challenged with his eyes, as though he knew I would not dare ask the questions I wanted. Again I battled with my insanity. Was he truly acting antagonistic towards my thoughts, or was this his personality and I was just begging to be put into an asylum? I wished David were with me for he would be a great objective viewer that could give me a sane opinion. He would also help keep me calm. Was I really losing my mind, or was I more intelligent than I gave myself credit for?  
I don't care if you're a vampire, I wanted to say. I just want to know I'm not crazy. He looked at me quizzically as though pondering if he should reply. Again, was I being nonsensical? Was this really his reaction, or was my mind brewing up everything that I could ever want and presenting me with this imaginary projection?  
"Your question?" was all he said. I had to think of an actual question to ask before I just passed out on the floor. I felt my knees begin to tremble and I couldn't think of anything except vampire vampire VAMPIRE. I stood in the middle of the perfect room facing someone who if my delusional mind were right, would be able to shred me into pieces within seconds, and if I was wrong, could quickly have me arrested and thrown into a psychiatric ward with the flick of a cell phone. Nauseated, I determined I was going crazy.  
"Is Bradley okay?" Nessie asked innocently and Edward shot her a quick glance.  
"I-I'm fine," I sighed; her voice eased my anxiety slightly. I shook my head lightly and pressed my right hand deep into my upper gut. "Just a little ill, I'm sorry to have bothered you," I muttered quickly. Suddenly, I didn't care about my question anymore and just wanted to get out of this room, his dark glare frightening to me. Was I an idiot? His livid eyes convinced me that I could possibly be his next meal. Edward broke out into laughter.  
"It's no bother at all," he chuckled, trying to hold back his sudden outburst.  
"See you in class," I told Edward and waved to Nessie before sneaking out of the room.  
"Bye Bradley!" I heard the sweet chime of the girl's voice, then what I thought was Edward hushing her. I sighed deeply, leaning against their door and closed my eyes. Vampires...I must be losing my mind. I took a few more deep breaths, trying to relax my racing heart and waited for the queasiness to pass. There was a reason for my insanity...  
"Brad DON'T!" my brother grabbed my arm and held it tightly, trying to prevent me from running into the building.  
"But mommy!" I shouted out, tears filling my eyes.   
"It's too late," he tightened his grip on me and pulled me away from the flaming building.   
"I need to save her! I have to save mommy!" I screamed out. "I saw it! I saw the girl trying to hurt her! If I find her, I'm going to beat her up!"  
"Brad, STOP," my brother said firmly. I didn't have a choice as the police grabbed us both and pulled us away.  
I was only five, and I didn't know what was happening. When I spoke to the police, criminal investigators, psychiatrists, social workers, they all gave me the same story: it was an accident and I needed to calm down. They wanted to lock me up in an asylum, but my therapist said that was immoral, I was only a child with a creative mind. I was going through trauma and I would definitely get better. I wondered if my brother were treated the same way, or if he lied about what we saw; he was smarter than I was as a child. His mind developed much quicker than mine.   
The vision flashed before me again, the blonde female who had jumped out of the thirteenth floor of the building my mother worked in. It was mother-daughter day and she brought my sister to her job, and I was jealous. My loving brother reluctantly helped me find my way to her office, but we both fell to the ground in tears to see smoke and flames covering it. We frantically ran in, but were only kids and could not get far. I hopped up the hot stairs as quickly as I could, my brother chasing after me, shouting my name. I ignored him and froze in a doorway as I stared at the lifeless body of my mother on the ground. A beautiful woman with perfect teeth and crimson red lips held her tightly. Upon seeing me, she quickly slipped out the window. I wanted to run to my mother, but my brother stopped me and the police pulled us out almost immediately. We screamed for our mother but they wouldn't listen. They didn't make an effort to push through the burning flames to salvage what they knew to be carcasses. Their mission was simple: rescue only those they knew were alive before the building came crashing down seconds later. My brother and I were the only two evacuated.  
I knew he saw it too, that figure that hopped out too gracefully from the building. Who was she? And why had she furtively escaped from the almost completely hidden window? I told the police that she was a demon; she set the building to flames and killed my mother before fleeing out the window to report to the devil that she had succeeded in ridding one of god's angels. Of course they thought I was crazy, and I believed them. It was all my imagination. But now, as I think back to that time, her flawless features, the pearly white skin, red, blood-colored lips, was I right to believe that I was a child in trauma? Did things such as vampires actually exist? Was it a vampire that had killed my mother and sister?  
"Oh!" I heard a voice that startled me and I stared speechlessly at a female, slightly shorter than Bella with a squat, pixie cut and marble skin just like the other two. Her eyes were a golden topaz, identical to Bella and Edward's - at certain times. She frowned at me as though I was doing something wrong, and I just stood frozen, staring at her. The silence seemed to last hours for me, though it was probably only a few seconds.  
"May I get through?" she finally said, a remnant of a smile on her face.  
"Oh! Sorry!" I shouted too loudly and jetted out of the way. I could hear Nessie and Edward sharing a few laughs inside, and I wondered if they were laughing at me.  
"Thanks," the girl winked and went inside.  
"Auntie Alice!" the little girl's voice trilled. Aunt? Was Nessie Edward and Bella's daughter? They seemed way too young to have a kid that size, but nothing was making sense to me anymore. Maybe the kid belonged to someone else and they were just taking care of her. It was nice to see that some children found good people that would care for them. My brother and I were not as lucky.  
"Where's the damn remote!?" of course he was drunk again. My brother and I hid in the small corner of our closet as our caretaker went off on another drunken outrage. It was a miracle that we were still living here, the man miserably in his forties with no job and drinking his wife's money away. She desperately wanted children, and upon seeing our faces, she instantly fell in love with us both. While she feared leaving us alone with him, she knew that she had to work triple shifts to keep food in our mouths, and we respected her and loved her fondly for it.   
"Only a few more years and I can free you," my brother would tell me during these outbursts. We had a little flashlight and a stack of old magazines in our secret hiding spot. We would flip through these books and promise each other things that we wanted. Our own apartment, warm food on the table every night, and nobody that would beat us mercifully if he found our little spot.  
"Where did you hide my remote, you little rascals!" his voice boomed and we quickly shut off the tiny flashlight and threw old bed sheets above our heads. We hardly breathed as we heard his footsteps coming closer to the closet. We swore to each other that we would never leave the other alone. We would always be safe as long as we stuck together.   
"There you are, you little brats!" the demon boomed in drunken laughter as he tore the sheets off from us. I reached out for my brother’s hand, but he was not there. He quickly ducked under the menacing ogre and ran off as I screamed out his name. Our so-called guardian grabbed me by the neck, silencing the agonizing sounds that must still torment my brother daily.   
The next time I saw him, he was in an incorrigible depression, staring at me with a horrified expression. I would lie and tell him that my blackened eye did not hurt, though I could see nothing from it. I would tell him that he did the right thing and that I knew he would equally take a beating to protect me. I had no anger, no resentment. There was no room for negativity towards my brother, but he would never forgive himself for what he had done.   
I decided I would force myself that all my theories and radical thoughts were from the repressed memories of my painful childhood. Yes, this is what I would believe. The Cullen family is a normal family and there's nothing else to it. I refused to let my crazy thoughts torment me and ruin another happy family. I somewhat committed to this before walking out of the extravagant apartment building.


	3. Chapter III - Going Crazy

While I gave up on my fanatical vampire chase, something still drew me to the mysterious couple. I found myself looking over to them more than I had before, though I was no longer incessantly studying about vampires. I was sure Edward and Bella looked at me too, wondering why I would not stop gazing at them with leery eyes. My conversations with David also began to die down, and I was wondering if the entire world started to think I was a lunatic. Why wouldn't they with the way I was behaving?  
I tried my best to avoid any contact with anyone. If I really had any special talents, I used them to my advantage to make anyone want to avoid me. I wouldn't say I was falling into a depression any more than an obsession, but something was definitely wrong with me. Another thing I noticed: the Cullens don't eat. Not once have I ever seen them eat nor smelled any food in the few times I went to their apartment. Not once have I ever seen them unloading groceries. I said I wasn't studying them anymore, but I guess I was just trying to convince myself.  
I was hiking in the mountains one day - an advice from my brother. He was worried about me losing my mind and falling into the abyss of depression since I was alone now. He suggested I try to use my muscles and get my mind clear, but my hike did nothing more than plunge me into a deeper questionable zeal. I found animals, torn apart in ways that no human could do, but no animal would kill another and leave all the meat untouched. I started to produce theories again: no murder stories came up because these were passive vampires that fed on animal blood. This time, my brother didn't laugh. His voice was more concerned than anything else.  
"Don't you think it's time to call quits on the whole vampire shpeal?" he would ask me, sympathy drowning his voice.  
"I guess..." was all I could muster up, preoccupied with my many theories. I knew why he was concerned. I saw the mess of my own reflection every morning. My face was deep with dark circles under my sleepless eyes and my jaws were caved in, an image both frightening and troublesome. If I saw David in my condition, I too would be concerned. Even Dr. Phillips had begun to avoid me, though I was once his favorite student.  
The next morning, I decided it was time to attempt to return to reality. My body was begging to be fed properly, to sleep, and my studies I left neglected in the corner of my room were screaming out to me. My roommate brought his computer from the common area into his room to minimize contact with me. But as always, my life needed to ensure that I would not get what I wanted, and I was not allowed to go back to my normal life, I could not forget.  
"Bella!" I heard the familiar name that rang in my head every waking moment of my life. The call woke me from my slumber, and I rubbed my eyes. I stared groggily at the outline of my forehead imprinted into my Molecular Biology textbook.   
"Shh! Someone might hear!" I heard Bella's reprimand towards the unfamiliar voice. I was slightly irritated that someone had found my secret alcove in the middle of the woods, not too far up the mountain range. Here, it was not too cold as the thick bushes and trees blocked most of the wind as well as the snow that otherwise blanketed the grounds. It had been a sunny day - although dense clouds now covered the sky - and I was here to try and catch up on my work in isolation.  
"Someone is here," Bella whispered so quietly I could barely hear it. Did she see me? No, it couldn't be. I hid myself perfectly well in the shrubs like some fragile animal hiding from the wildlife. Perhaps she had some extrasensory perceptions and could sense humans; if she were a vampire, it would make sense for her to be able to smell our blood and locate us for hunting.  
"Mm, smells yummy," the male voice echoed.  
"Stop it, Emmett," Bella muttered.  
"So this is your Rocky Road," he chuckled. "I could see why."  
"Emmett!" Bella scolded.  
"What? I didn't say anything I'm not allowed to," I could see him now, a burly man double the size of Edward. The same marble-white skin and golden eyes.  
"Just stop," Bella groaned and started walking towards my direction. I didn't know why my heart was racing? I wasn't doing anything wrong, this was my spot that they were invading. Sure I had been eavesdropping, but I could easily pretend that I was still asleep. I had no reason to be afraid. It wasn't like she would kill me if she knew that I was listening, even if she could.  
"Such a healthy heartbeat too," Emmett chimed.  
"I will kick your ass if you don't stop," Bella warned. Her? Fight him? I doubted if that little girl could do any harm to a guy that big, vampire or not.  
"Bella, time to bail!" Emmett said pointing to the sky that was quickly clearing up again. A thin beam of sun was starting to creep out from the thick clouds.  
"Okay," Bella mumbled reluctantly, looking one more time in my direction and taking a deep breath like a lion trying to catch a whiff of its prey's scent. They quickly ran off, a little too fast for an average human, but if they were athletes, it wasn't anything I could say was out of the ordinary. Until I saw a little glitter off the back of Emmett's neck. Was I dreaming?  
I tried to get up from where I was, still trying to reason with myself whether I was imagining something or if Emmett's skin was glowing. I tried to diminish my vampire thoughts, but I could not control them as they haunted me every night. The more I tried to repress it, the more they appeared in my dreams. Suddenly, I had the most terrifying feeling that I was being watched. I looked around myself to see if anyone was around, but I saw nothing. Were there any wild animals prancing around the school campus that I didn't know about? I picked myself up off the ground and dusted my clothes, and I saw a quick movement through my peripheral vision, but when I looked towards that direction, nothing was there. No movement of leaves or soil, nothing that proved that something had been there to begin with. I was going crazy.


	4. Chapter IV Definitely Crazy

I kept trying to convince myself that I wasn't really crazy and that I was just fervently interested in a topic. That made me seem much more normal and calmed me down a little bit. I kept all conversations about my vampire dreams to myself, and that made David begin to contact me more as though he finally realized I was becoming normal again. Normal was such a relative term though, but whatever kept him happy was good enough for me. Edward and Bella kept up with their same routine; their love was exploding from them and Edward just as smart as ever though he missed class every sunny day. Bella, however, had a little more difficulty keeping up, but with a stellar tutor like her man, I'm sure she had no issues with her grades.  
Interestingly, I managed to keep my grades up despite my new obsession with vampires. I wondered: if they truly did exist and the Cullens were what I expected them to be, would I want to join their ranks? Even if I did, would they let me? I dreamed what it was like to be a vampire. It had to be pretty good if they could kill the huge animals that I found hidden amongst the mountains. Maybe I ought to tell them to be a bit more careful with their hunting. I was definitely still going insane despite my efforts to keep my mind in check, and I knew I went completely over the line when I met the Volturi.  
I was hanging out in the little field of bushes and trees a few miles off campus one day, my special spot where I first saw Emmett, though I never saw him or Bella here again. I was reading one of those vampire lore books when I saw four hooded figures walking quickly towards my direction, faster than I thought possible for any human, but I knew that was my mind embellishing real facts again, especially when it meant the possibility of things beyond humanity being in existence. While I debated with myself whether I lost my mind or fell asleep into another dream, I could not take my eyes off the figures. They were walking in a perfect diamond formation that never broke, never faltered no matter how fast they moved. As they swung around and wove in between trees, the diamond remained perfect as though steel rods connected the four. Before I knew it, the smallest of the four, a young, blonde, boyish girl looked intensely at me with fiendish red eyes.  
"Your name," she said firmly, her skin as ashen as the Cullens'.  
"Excuse me?" I muttered, confused. She smiled at me and I felt a burning sensation choking at my throat that quickly spread like a manic firestorm through every aching vessel in my body. I couldn't tell if I was screaming, as the pain was too great for me to focus on any other sense.   
"Your name," she said again, commandingly. She had a soft, feminine voice that echoed like a Viking's cry. It made me shake a bit in fear, or perhaps I was still shaking from the blazing flame that had just flooded my body. I couldn't think clearly, nor could I figure out what this woman wanted from me as she stared intently at me. I looked up at her and saw that another figure, about the same age as her, with dark hair, but the same white skin, and horrific red eyes stood far in the back of the diamond figure, a smirk on his face. The other two were large, burlesque guys with huge muscles under their dark apparel, but their skin and eyes were identical to the younger two.  
"I believe Jane asked you a question," one of the men said in a deep voice. The young girl in the front of the formation lifted her hand up towards him.  
"Felix," was all she said, and the huge man that could have easily torn her in half knelt down to her in genuflection as though scared of this puny thing. The girl then looked at me, and once again that devilish smile brought a pain so intense into my body that I was quivering helplessly. I finally understood. The big one followed her diplomatic orders, as she was the one causing this incorrigible pain with that little smile of hers. He feared her and obeyed her every command because she could inflict a burning worse than death with the flick of her lips.  
"Your name," she said again in her singsong voice, tough, commanding, domineering.  
"Bradley Perez," I sputtered out quickly, fearful of once again being overwhelmed by that mysterious pain.  
"What could Aro want with such a useless child?" the young boy at the back scoffed. Who was Aro and more importantly, who were these four and what the hell were they? For sure they were nothing close to humans.  
"Tell me what you know of the Cullens," Jane said, ignoring the comment from the other. She looked at me with a cynical glare, those crimson eyes making me shake. I scrambled through my scattered brain for a quick answer, fearful of being inundated in her wrath. I was still lost in whether this was a dream or reality, who they were, what they were, and what they wanted. But I knew that if I didn't provide an answer quickly, I would certainly be dead.  
"All I know is that Edward and Bella have weird qualities..." I muttered as fast as I could. I didn't want to anger the demon in this child. "They...they have eyes different than most, they glow, like yours, except in gold and not red. I never see them eat, they have magickal voices and sweet-scented, marble skin, qualities that I don't see in regular humans."  
"Is that all?" Fleix laughed. "This is a mere, mortal idiot! What possible threat could Isaac have seen in him?" His statement angered me; while it was true I was a mere mortal that possessed no threat, why would he call me an idiot? I gritted my teeth to avoid speaking, for I feared what this girl was capable of. If the giant muscle-heads feared her, then I was sure she could do more than just throw me into the agonizing pain of fiery hell.  
"I have theories," I blurted, unable to hold myself back anymore as the four mocked me. Jane quickly turned her head and leered at me, one eyebrow raised. I was sure she would blast me with instant pain, but she only smiled.  
"Theories?" was all she said. She was quite laconic, using words as if they each cost her an arm.  
"I believe they are more than human, like vampires. They possess many qualities of vampires such as changing eyes, and I've seen hunted animals, glittering skin in the sun," I said quickly. I didn't know why I was explaining all this to four strangers who most likely wanted me dead, but the words just flowed out of me. "I saw the child, who grows too quickly to be human, I saw the way Bella tries to stay far from humans, with Edward always shielding her. And I hear them talking about heartbeats, and smells of humans."  
"Oh?" the girl seemed a bit more interested, and she smirked. I winced and quickly backed away, knowing that her smile brought on the pain.   
"He learns quick," the younger male chuckled at my response.  
"I could see Isaac's concern," Felix scoffed. "This will please Aro. Perhaps they've done enough to be convicted of a sin."  
"Come with me," Jane said quickly, as though once again ignoring the comments of her peers.  
"Excuse me?" I asked confused. She looked at me again and smiled, but before the pain flooded my entire body again, I ran as quickly as I could to the center of the diamond. She had me on a leash and could ask me to do all she desired, and I could not say no. I didn't want to feel the fires burning inside me again. I wondered when I would awaken from this nightmare, and wished that I truly was going insane, a drug able to cure me and remove all these thoughts of insanity from my mind. How I wished for Jane and these other three to just vanish before my eyes.  
Keep to yourself...I laughed at the voice in my head. I had a tendency to never listen to myself, and that's what always got me into trouble. I always did something stupid...  
"I asked you to be in by 6:30am," I said angrily as the girl raised her eyebrow at me.  
"Or what? You're gonna fire me?" she scowled.   
"Jenna, please," I begged. "It's 9am, you're late every day and all the other workers are beginning to hate me because I let you slide for all of this while they have to work hard."  
"So then fire me if you want," she winked at me. "By the way, I need some money to get a new pair of shoes."  
"But I just gave you a raise two weeks ago!" I shouted in disbelief.   
"What so I get a raise and you don't love me no more?" Jenna snapped at me. I hung my head down in shame and sighed. Unwillingly, I emptied the contents of my wallet into her hands. "That's it?" she muttered before walking out the store. I could feel the pity, the scorn and mockery that filled the eyes of my employees who stared at me shamefully.   
"Wait Jenna!" I shouted, but she didn't bother coming back for the remainder of her shift. It was always like this, and it would always be like this. Everyone at work knew that she got paid more than them, that she would never get fired though she was late every day and didn't work even when she bothered to show up. She had me on a leash and did what she pleased because I unconscionably loved her. They all hated me and disrespected me for being so unfair and letting a witch of a girl control me, but they couldn't understand. They couldn't understand the agony that cut my hollow interior, and how her auburn hair and gentle, earthy eyes filled the void just slightly, reminding me of the greatness that my mother once was. Nobody could understand, but my brother. And sometimes even his sympathy had its limits.  
I knew that every other day, she was clinging onto a different man, but somehow, stupidly, I always went back to her like a moth to a flame. I thought of the number of times my brother had found me, bleeding on the ground after once again being attacked by one of the men that thought she was his. I thought of all the things I hated, all the things I ran away from, but this, this was the worst thing I've ever gotten into. That is, if this were really not a dream.   
"Let me carry him, it will be much quicker," Felix complained as we walked through the snowy terrain. For some incredulous reason, we were climbing the steepest mountains of New Hampshire, and the diamond formation still remained unbroken, though moving slower due to my sluggish, human pace. Clearly, the mountains did not affect these four the way they bothered me, and I stumbled in the snow.  
"Do as you wish," Jane said quickly. Terrified, I looked at the muscular giant to my right, who grinned, flashing his shiny teeth at me.  
"Alec?" he said, turning back to the other. I tried to look back at him, not knowing what was going to happen, but my mind went blank. I could no longer feel my body, as though a wave of nothingness had just washed out everything from my mind. A complete opposite from the pain Jane inflicted, I no longer felt a thing. And soon enough, I could no longer think. The last thought that crossed my mind was that I was definitely crazy.


	5. Chapter V - Inexorable Decision

"Bah!" I shouted out, finally awakening from my horrible nightmare. Light shined brightly into my eyes, and I squinted, allowing them to adjust to the luminous room. I rubbed them violently with my hands before looking up to see that I had woken up into another dream. I was in a room that I recognized; the grandeur designs of the golden walls, thrones that I was familiar with.   
"Hello," I heard the gentle voice of an older man. Reluctantly, I pulled myself off the ground to stare into the crimson eyes of a face I knew too well, but from where? There was no way I could know this stranger who I was sure I never met.  
"You must be Bradley," he smiled pompously. "I am Aro. This is Marcus and Caius," he greeted the men standing on either side of him. To his left was an apathetic man, staring silently at the wall. On his right was a ferocious man, clearly the polar opposite of the other. This man was huge, bigger than the two accompanying Jane, and only hatred existed in his face. "Peace, brother," the one called Aro placed a hand on the larger one. Suddenly, I froze in realization to who these men were. They were three out of the four men who were in the painting in Bella and Edward's room. The friendliest-looking of the four, the stunning blonde, was absent.  
"May I?" Aro asked, extending his arm out as though he wanted something from me.  
"What?" I asked confused and Caius scoffed obnoxiously.  
"I shall explain everything to you if it seems fit," Aro smiled, extending his hand out further. I then realized there was another young girl behind him, her jet-black hair covering her face. She had one hand pressed firmly against Aro's back. She stared at me with angry eyes as though I was planning to do something drastic and she was protecting this wrinkly man. As if I could do anything with someone who could shred me into pieces inches away.  
"I don't think this human is of any threat," Caius spat at the girl who simply snarled at me. He said human as if they were something else, though I was not surprised.  
"Your hand," Aro gestured again to me. Vexed, I placed one of my hands in his, and I gasped at the iciness of his aged hands. They were tough, but smooth, like marble on a winter day.  
"Fascinating..." Aro's smile grew. "Just absolutely fascinating..."  
"You can't possibly think this boy-" Caius began. Aro lifted a hand at him, and closed his eyes, grasping my hands more tightly. For an old guy, he had a lot of strength. He's not human, I reminded myself.  
"You are quite intelligent," Aro beamed. "I've never seen a human conclude the existence of vampires so quickly! And this David, oh you two would make a valuable addition to the Volturi!"  
"How do you know about David!?" I snapped, and I was instantly bombarded with the pain from before. The burning flames erupted in my blood, and this time I could hear my screams echoing off the walls.  
"Jane dear," I thought I heard Aro speak, and the pain ceased. I collapsed onto the ground, sweat plastering the fabric of my shirt against my trembling skin.  
"Oh how I wish Eleazar was still with us!" Aro continued. "He would know the potential of such a child! So clever!" he kept repeating himself, and I could not figure out anything he was speaking about, but I feared to say anything or even get up from the ground, for I knew Jane was waiting in some corner for any chance to strike me.  
"A child such as you has the option to join our ranks," Aro said to me, helping me up from the ground.  
"Join?" I was still confused. This entire time I thought my death was inevitable, but now he offered me an option, though I could not corroborate was better than death.  
"I'm sorry, but I cannot explain anything until you've agreed," the man smiled gently at me, hope sparkling in his crimson eyes.  
"How can I agree to something I know nothing about?" I questioned fearfully, turning my head to see if Jane was in the room or if all these people could inflict the same pain she did.  
"Do not fear Jane, she only protects us," Aro said softly. "I don't mean to compel you to join us, but the other option is not very..." he stopped to think of an appropriate word. “Attractive," he decided, and instantly I knew he meant death. I couldn't believe what was happening to me, and how things had changed so quickly. Just yesterday, I doubted the existence of some extraordinary thing in the world, and now, here I stood in the middle of it all, being asked to join into this secret life. Suddenly, I was intrigued. Were they willing to change me into a vampire, make me into one of them? Would I reflect the beauty of Edward and Bella with their flawless skin, chiming voice, and sweet, alluring scent? Would I be able to make people scream at the desire for death to take them away from the pain inflicted by a single smile? I didn't know if this is what he meant by joining, but I couldn't die now.  
"It seems the choice is not mine to make," I chuckled, though a small part of me wanted to see what was in store.  
"Marvelous, you are so intelligent!" Aro shouted out excitedly. "I cannot wait and see what kind of strength you will possess when you've become one of us!"   
"Now that I've accepted, will you tell me what is going on?" I asked hesitantly. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but it had to be better than death. I wanted to survive for David, at least long enough to tell him not to worry about me. He would call me, and wonder why I wasn't responding. He might come out to Dartmouth, worried for me, only to be sucked into the same trap I fell into. I couldn't let that happen. I had to survive to protect him.  
"Ah, patience my friend. We have infinite time," he said, smiling to me. "Marcus, if you would," he bowed to the statue of a man, who finally moved from his frozen position and looked at me with lethargic eyes.  
"I'm sorry," was all he said, and before I blinked, I felt a fiery pain in my throat that quickly erupted into my entire body. Jane again. I wondered what I had done to upset her again as the pain filled me, though much more bearable after suffering the torment so many times. I felt cold hands on my burning flesh, but I could see nothing.


	6. Chapter VI - Worse than Death

This time, the pain did not go away. Was it still Jane, who out of spite and anger, continued her reign of torment on me for so long? I simply lay there, waiting for it to cease. It must have been days, when finally I could feel my toes again, my fingers, and later, entire limbs. Slowly, my body was coming back to me, like the pieces were being sewed back on a torn doll. When I finally regained my strength, I jolted up from what felt like a stone bed. The room was dark, and obviously cold, but I could see clearly and felt no discomfort in the frigid temperature.   
Suddenly, the sweetest scent filled my nose, and an alluring beat filled my ears. I looked over at the corner that drew my attention, and there I could see a female figure, looking up at me with fearful eyes filled with tears. I felt a burning in my throat, and her smell lulled me and before I could process my actions, I held her screaming body tightly in my hands.  
"No! Please don't kill me!" she begged. Kill her? What was she talking about? I could see each blood cell rushing through the beating artery on her neck and I just wanted to bite down on it. I didn't understand what was wrong with me and I felt my body begin to tremble with hers. My throat was burning, and her smell was amplifying it.  
"Please...I have a son who needs me..." the woman whimpered helplessly.  
"What are you talking about?" I thought I said, but the fluid, eloquent voice could not be mine.  
"Please..." she begged. “I did so much...I worked so hard and now they use me to feed a newborn."  
"A newborn?" again I thought I spoke, but that voice could not be mine.  
"You...you're not killing me?" the girl asked, shocked.  
"No...please explain what's happening," I said quickly in the foreign voice. My head was exploding with the agony of a hundred unanswered questions, and that was more than enough to flood out the burning in my throat and the unquestionable desire I had to tear apart her hapless body. This was the first time I could have questions answered, and I wasn't going to let my newfound instincts take this chance away.  
"You're controlling your thirst...but how?" the woman asked, staring intently into my eyes.  
"Clearly you fear me, so you should answer my questions swiftly instead of irritating me," I said through gritted teeth. The woman shook her head and I let her go, huddling myself to a corner. I tried to stay as far away from her, though it didn't help the burning sensation I got from every whiff of her scent. Was this pain “thirst” as she had said? No, I've felt immense thirst before, and it did not consume my body as this feeling did now. This was beyond thirst. I held my breath as she spoke in a hushed voice, though I could hear her words perfectly.   
"This is the house of the Volturi. The Volturi are the head vampire clan that oversees the activity of all vampires. Basically, the biggest rule is that they live in complete secrecy and ensure that humans never find out about the existence of vampires."  
"Vampires?" I muttered, again with that voice that didn't belong to me. "They actually exist?"  
"My god you didn't know anything," the girl's remark was not scornful, but sympathetic. She shook her head and sighed. "Yes, and you are what we call a newborn, a brand new vampire. Your kind is very vicious and usually cannot control their thirst. The sweet scent you smell is my blood, and the burning in your throat is your desire for my blood. I am shocked that you do not kill me. It is truly a first that I've ever seen for newborns."  
"Don't test your luck," I said annoyed. The scratching in my throat was getting worse by the second, though the thought of killing a human just to ease the pain was quite appalling to me. The idea of drinking blood was even worse.  
"I must say that you are one of a kind, I can see why Aro has chosen you," the woman said.  
"Tell me more about Aro. Why did he do this to me?"  
"Like I said, you are a special one. Aro is sort of a collector. He collects vampires with special skills that will benefit his coven. For example, Aro has the ability to read your entire life's past by a simple touch. Jane has the ability to make you believe you are suffering the greatest pain, and her twin Alec has the ability to numb all your senses. Those two are vicious and Aro wants to collect more like them. He believes twins hold some specialty beyond what regular vampires can possess, much like Alec and Jane. If Aro sees that a mortal has any proclivity to become a special vampire, he converts them."  
"Wait...he sees everything?" I asked fearfully. If this were true and if what this woman said about Alec and Jane were true, then Aro would be searching for David. Whatever power I may have, I had to make sure that Aro would not find out. Perhaps if he saw I was powerless, he would assume David would be too and would not seek him out.  
"Is there any way to shield yourself from Aro's powers?" I asked. I had to do whatever I could to protect David.  
"Not that I know of...Although...I heard that the new addition to the Cullen family shields her mind from everything the Volturi are capable of. The Volturi fear the power of the Cullens and believe the Cullens are trying to overthrow them. I believe...you were converted because Aro believes you will be a useful weapon against them."  
"The Cullens..." I finally remembered what had brought me into this whole mess to begin with. The members of the Cullen family were vampires and as I was piecing all this together, somehow the Volturi found out that a human knew of their existence and came to eliminate me. But when Aro saw my memories with David and the fun-filled beliefs of our powers, he assumed those could be true and took a chance with me. All the pieces fell together, and it meant that for sure, Aro would be searching for David now and that beast Jane would try to do all she could to get him. There was nothing I could do to stop them, not with her powers.  
"You said the Volturi are trying to overthrow the Cullens?" I asked.  
"Yes. One of the vampires, Isaac, claimed that he saw you, a human, dealing with the Cullens. Aro thought this would be the excuse the Volturi needed to charge the Cullens of breaking the greatest rule, which is to live in secrecy. This would be their chance to finally do what they always wished: to destroy the Cullens."   
"What else can you tell me?" I asked. I realized that my confrontation with the four in the forest would surely not help the Cullens' case. If something were to happen to them, I would be the one to blame.  
"Well, vampires have many qualities which I'm sure you already figured out. The sweet scent, tough, yet soft skin, the beautiful voice, super speed, and super strength."  
"Hm..." I mumbled. This all seemed too crazy to be real. How I went from a skeptical person to some "newborn" all of a sudden...it wasn't something that was easy to swallow. "So my brother..."  
"Your brother?" the woman asked confused. Then she suddenly snapped her head up and I knew she understood. "Oh no..." was all she said.  
"There's no hope for him..." it wasn't a question, I already knew it. Or did I? "These special abilities, what do you know about them?" I asked.  
"Oh...well just as every person is different, every vampire is different. Like there are few people with special gifts, vampires can be gifted as well. Often times from what I know, they are an amplification of something that existed in them as humans. For example, Alice, one of the Cullens that Aro truly desires was put into a ward as she was said to have these visions and people feared her. Now, as a vampire, her visions are extremely accurate."  
"So, an extension of our human talents?" I asked. This amused me. If this were true, the powers that David and I joked about may be true. His manipulative powers may develop into mind control, making him a truly desirable vampire to Aro, but me...my knack to get what I want, could it really develop into controlling what's to come? As farfetched as it sounded, the fact that I was a vampire now told me that nothing was impossible. There had to be a way to test my powers.  
"Was there something you think you might have?" the woman asked, intrigued.  
"My brother...he always joked that I had these powers to get what I always wanted. Is there something that this could become?"  
"Oh my...this reminds me of Siobhan. A woman who Aro, Eleazar, and Carlisle all thought could will something to happen. Perhaps yours can be some extension of that gift."  
"I wish there was some way to know..." I mumbled.  
"Perhaps the time will come sooner than you expect. Also, may I ask you for a favor?" the woman asked quietly. "I know I have no rights after you've already spared my life, but this may help you too."  
"I've done nothing for you, and after you've fearlessly explained everything to me, I owe you nothing less than what's left of my life."  
"Your words are kind," the woman sighed. "I can see why you have no problem to resist the temptation of blood even as a newborn. You are pristine, like the leader of the Cullens, Carlisle. Regardless, there is no way you can fight the Volturi, they are too powerful. You know how powerful Jane is. You must resist the urge to rebel and work with the Volturi doing as they wish until you have a chance to escape. Perhaps it would be best to wait for your brother to be recruited and together, you will have a better-"  
"My brother will not become a monster!" I shouted out angrily.  
"I'm sorry...but I believe there is no other way. Please, grant me my request and do not throw your life away," the woman got on her knees and begged. She fearlessly walked over to me and placed a hand on my cheek. "You are so beautiful, just about the age my son would be. I cannot imagine the torment they will put you through after they find out your powers if you resist to join them."  
"So you're saying to just live like this!? Just live as a monster and let my brother face the same fate!?"  
"Please," the woman pleaded. "I don't want you to be killed!"  
"I'm already dead!" I fought back. "This shit is worse than death! I'll destroy this freaking joke of a life for my brother!"  
"I understand your pain. But you must understand that your survival, monster or not, is the only chance you have to save your brother. Even if you choose to throw your life away, they will find him. And they will do to him what they did to you. Perhaps worse if you go against their wishes." She hit my weak point with that statement. She was completely right, and if I wanted to save my brother, I would have to do all I could to stay alive, even if that meant working for these Volturi. Also, if I stayed with them, I would know when they planned to get my brother, and then I would have to improvise and see what I could manage for his safety.  
"Thank you for everything..." I said, not knowing what else I could do now. "You are a real help."  
"No, thank you for letting me live, though my time is clearly limited," the woman no longer cried, even speaking of her inevitable demise.  
"How important am I?" I asked, not wanting anything to happen to this woman.  
"If you have powers that can help the Volturi, particularly against the new Cullen, I would say you were quite important." Though she answered thoughtfully, she seemed confused with my question. She studied my face as though trying to appraise my intentions.  
"Maybe you don't have to..." I couldn't finish my sentence.  
"They fed me to a newborn," she said blatantly. "They don't need me anymore and want me dead. If you don't kill me, they will."  
"Well let's hope I'm really important..." I smirked. I heard footsteps down the hall, and I knew that somebody was coming. Judging from the sweet scent, it was another vampire. Probably one of the Volturi, or a few since they seemed to not travel alone.  
"Oh," of course, the voice of the one whose company I enjoyed least echoed in the room. "Gianna." she smiled at the woman who looked at her with terrified eyes.  
"Stop!" I shouted, and the blonde looked at me with that smile I resented most.  
"I take no orders from you," she said with a brazen voice. "I'm surprised you're still alive," she didn't take her eyes off me as she said this. "I'm sure Aro will be very interested to hear this." this was the most words I ever heard this girl speak, and I did not enjoy it. "Felix, get rid of her."  
"No!" I snarled, surprised at the intensity of my voice, like the roar of a tiger.  
"Excuse me?" Jane glowered at me. I suddenly felt the burning sensation ripping through my body, but I wasn't going to let her win this time, I was a vampire too. It was very hard to concentrate through the pain, but it wasn't impossible since I was already used to it. I closed my eyes, and willed this pain to go away. I didn't want it here and it needed to stop now. Slowly, I felt my body slip away from the pain, the same it had earlier. My fingers returned to me first, outer extremities following, until I could feel my entire body leaving my mind, which was inundated by Jane's enmity. Once here in the safety of the corporeal world, I could easily command the earth around me to do as I wished. It was here that I could see the girl with the snide face, and do what I had always wanted to do. The stones below her crumbled, wiping the revolting smile off her face as she yelped, falling to the ground.   
"Jane!" Felix knelt down to help the girl, who extended her arm up to stop him.  
"I'm fine," she stated angrily, leering at me. Though it brought me great joy and hope to anger her, my plan to remain incognito had failed. She already knew that I possessed an arsenal of powers that could crush her. I sensed the slightest tinge of fear behind her firewall of anger. "Let's get to Aro. And take care of that girl."  
"Nobody touches Gianna without killing me first," I pulled the shaking woman behind me.  
"I would very gladly grant your wish," Felix said angrily.  
"Stop it, Felix," the other of Jane's guards finally spoke. "I'll hold him down and you kill the girl." With a flash, the larger man was on me and I heard the woman screaming.  
"Stop!" I shouted out, closing my eyes and focusing on the survival of the woman. At this moment, nothing mattered more.   
"Brothers!" Aro's voice echoed into the room and everyone froze. "My my, what an interesting conundrum."  
"Aro," Jane bowed to him and her two guards were instantly at her side again. I picked myself off the ground and pulled the motionless woman behind me. The next time, I would be prepared to retaliate, no matter how fast these vampires moved. I already knew how my powers worked. My brother always explained that the root to all strength is belief.   
"Gianna! You live!" Aro said astonished. "I was sure Bradley would have appreciated such a wonderful gift."  
"A gift?" I scowled. How could he think that the life of an innocent woman was a gift? These vampires were nothing but monsters.  
"You do not feel your thirst?" Aro asked, staring inquisitively at me. "I was sure you would appreciate us providing your first meal, and one so great as Gianna! Her blood is sweet, sweeter than most."  
"I need no blood," I muttered. "And particularly not one of this innocent woman. I will do as you wish, but my terms are that nobody harm her," I glared at Jane with my words. She only smiled.  
"Oh my! You protect your meal? How you remind me of Carlisle and his little Edward! Brilliant! A newborn and still capable of human emotion and self control! My, what a wondrous vampire you've become!" Aro chirped on excitedly about matters I still could not fathom. "But I'm sorry to inform you that if you wish Gianna to stay alive, you must turn her yourself."  
"Turn her?" I whispered to Gianna, who looked ghastly.  
"Oh, she failed to tell you this little detail," Aro said with a huge smile. I wondered if he could tell that I wanted to rip his throat out. I'm sure he would know instantly when he touched my hand. "When a vampire bites a mortal and manages not to kill, the mortal becomes one of us. I'm not sure how useful Gianna will be to us, but if you insist on her survival, I cannot refuse you the opportunity to try."  
"And if I refuse?" I snarled. I wanted this young woman to stay alive, not join the ranks of the undead I would not accept to be called living.  
"I cannot give you any other option, but I know you will choose wisely," Aro said before waving his arm. Aro and the female vampire attached to him left the room. Jane and Felix stared at me for a second before taking their leave with the other guard and Alec.  
"I'm supposed to bite you?" I asked in disgust once I knew we were alone. I figured my senses had to be as good as theirs, so if I could not smell the foulness of their sweet scent, they should not be able to hear us.  
"It seems there is no other choice..." Gianna replied with a shaky voice.  
"You seem afraid."  
"It's not that I do not trust you," she said to me, intensely gazing into my eyes I knew were no longer my friendly honey, but some resemblance of the demonic red of the others. "It's that it is impossible. While you show more self control than any newborn I've seen, even mature vampires have trouble stopping once they taste the sweetness of blood. Aro knows this, and thus has decided to give me a false chance of survival."  
"I just have to bite you and stop?" I asked, wondering how difficult it would actually be. Feeling the intense burn in my throat and fighting off her sweet scent was difficult enough, so I knew it would be quite the challenge once the blood swirled in my mouth, but impossible?  
"You will not be able to stop, but if you kill me quickly, I will hardly feel a thing," she said, marking her words of death. "Please, if you ever find my son, let him know I loved him. Let him know I tried my hardest to escape this place, find him again and apologize for my failure as a mother. Oh Fred...if only I spent more time with you when I had the chance. If only I were a better mother, I would not have come to this damned place."  
"I will do what I can," I promised. I hesitated a moment as I stood, towering over the whimpering figure who had no faith in me. Did I believe that I could stop? I thought of what Aro had said about Edward and some Carlisle who defended their meals as I did. Have they changed their fair share of humans as well? I could see the pulse in the woman's neck, and it drew me into a trance and I felt myself losing control, losing my senses when no blood had yet to spill.  
"I will keep you alive," I promised, and willed that thought into existence as I bit down into her soft flesh, no resistance from her skin as my teeth ripped into her so easily. Sweet liquid poured into my mouth and the taste tossed me into a frenzy as it washed down my throat, slightly easing the burning dryness. It was the sweetest thing I've ever tasted, like ambrosia dancing wildly in my mouth. The greatest feeling I've ever felt to have blood flooding through my lips. Blood. This was not honey in my mouth, it was blood, human blood, and it made me queasy. Screams penetrated my ears when my sense of hearing returned, and a horrified woman stood staring at me, and I knew the pain she felt, the same I experienced for the past couple of days. But I knew she could endure it, the same I had. She was a strong woman and would be an even stronger vampire and I was glad I did not kill her. With her, I had a better chance.


	7. Chapter VII - The Secret

She awoke with a startling snarl, and I looked up at the silent figure in the shadows, now stirring violently. The Volturi have not come into my cell for the past three days, probably to ensure I was thirsty enough to kill her, for I knew they did not believe I could actually stop. I also knew they would be coming soon to check up on us and scorn me for my failure of keeping her alive, but they were wrong. I had focused my energy the past few days to try and minimize the pain Gianna felt and to ensure she would be born with powers equivalent to mine. I didn't know what the extent of my abilities were, but after my confrontation with Jane, I knew I was not powerless. By now, Aro would know this too.  
Gianna growled wildly as she jumped out from her bed. She snarled ferociously, her eyes pitch black with a tiny red ring that I could only see due to my heightened vision and the darkness of the room. She stared at me quizzically, roared loudly and jumped at me with incredulous speed.  
"Stop!" I shouted out and the woman froze inches away from me, her lips peeled back to show her bright teeth. She was no longer the one I once knew.  
"Gianna," I said in almost a whisper. The woman struggled with her body, trembling wildly. By her crouching stance, I knew she wanted to scratch at me with her newly imbued strength, but something was stopping her. Was it me? Was this a demonstration of my strength?  
"Where am I!?" she growled. "Why can't I move!?"  
"Gianna, do you not remember a thing? I had to turn you into this monster to protect your life! I'm sorry," I said shamefully, willing her body to regain motion.   
"Change me?" she composed herself when she once again had control of her body, though she still bared her teeth. "All I feel is thirst!"   
"A true newborn..." I sighed. This was something I feared. She told me that I was out of the ordinary, the only newborn she'd ever seen that could control thirst and ignore it. She was not the same, she was a true newborn thinking only of blood. At that moment, the door swung open and a quick laughter told me an unwelcome guest had come.  
"She lives," Jane said grinning, showing signs of shock washed over with apathy.  
"You! You're the witch!" Gianna roared at the petite blonde and lunged at her.  
"Gianna stop!" I shouted, knowing what Jane was capable of, but it was too late. Gianna was screaming at the top of her lungs as the girl stared at her with that devious smile. I tried to remember what I did the last time I stopped her, but before I knew it, Gianna's screams had stopped and she stared blankly at Jane who now lay on the floor, motionless.  
"What did you do to my sister!?" Alec shouted out, a barely visible mist escaped from him and surrounded Gianna, who now fell onto her knees, dazed. What was that mist doing to her? Whatever it was, it had to stop, and I focused my energy in making the mist vanish. As quickly as it had appeared, the blackened haze evaporated and Gianna snarled again, leering at Alec who also fell to the ground. This time, Felix and the other guard rushed towards her to attack, but I was prepared, controlling the metal bars that caged us into this cell to surround them. They ripped off the ground, and plunged towards the two vampires, the cement ceiling and floor following suit. The burly vampires easily ripped through the metal and concrete, but it stalled them enough for Gianna to do to them what she did to the twins, and now all four guards of the Volturi were on the ground, motionless. She was powerful, extremely powerful. Which meant, so was I.

After the incident, Aro had been exhilarated by the fact that I hadn't killed Gianna. She had been much more useful than anyone expected, as a vampire with a menacing ability to induce comatose on whoever she wished. Between Gianna and I, we were more powerful than Jane and Alec, who reluctantly stayed away from us on Aro's orders. We all knew they desired to kill us on any chance they had, Alec using his fearful ability as others tore us to pieces. The days the Volturi fed, I wished that they had succeeded in ending our lives.  
She walked slowly, I could tell she knew what she was doing. The young blonde, almost reflective of a Jane before she became the beastly vampire she was now. So innocent, a tiny girl no older than I was. I couldn't understand the torment that ate away inside her, knowing she was ending the lives of thousands. What I couldn't understand more was how mercilessly Aro could choose this ingenuous soul to replace Gianna.   
"Thank you Sarah," Aro smiled as a herd of unsuspecting tourists walked into the palace. They looked around in awe at the sublime decor of the Volturi throne room. The girl, shaking with fear, rivers of hot tears streaming down her plump cheeks, looked quickly over at Jane before running out of the room, hands pressed firmly on her ears. She knew the pain, she obeyed and fought off her own guilt of ending innocent lives to avoid the burning, the same ache that burned my throat daily. I could hear her footsteps, carrying her as fast as human feet could move, not wanting to hear the shrieking that clamored my ears.  
I could hear her stumble on her feet, but before she could fall on the cold ground, I motioned it to soften, sheltering her in a warm, soothing blanket. As the softening ground enveloped her, drowning out the sounds of the dying victims, she stopped weeping. It was obvious she was confused, but she was not scared. She had been around the Volturi long enough to know that strange things could happen, that mystical beings with powers and abilities she could not explain existed. And as the protective sphere around her hugged her, she knew that she now had someone to protect her. She knew not who this mysterious knight of hers was, but she would always be safe, as long as I was around.   
"If you do not feed, you will die," Aro said to me, concerned as he motioned a horrified woman to my direction. She stared at me, wide-eyed in disbelief as her friends and family faced the horrific fate of being the Volturi's repast.   
"I'd rather die than kill," I muttered, covering my nose, though it did not stop the alluring scent of sweet blood filling my nose and setting home, picking at my raw throat. I turned my back to the others, though I could still hear the tearing of flesh and violent screams of those who thought they were getting a VIP tour of a royal kingdom.  
"Forgive me..." Gianna's voice was barely audible over the feasting. I couldn't say anything to her, using all my concentration to focus on resisting the blood and protecting the innocent girl. I wanted to let her know I did not judge her for trying to stay alive as I allowed my body to quickly shrivel up in weakness. She was only following her inhumane instincts, and I knew she had no desire to kill. The first round of the banquet that we experienced, she fervently tore through countless victims, deeply remorseful for days after. This second time, I knew she only fed on a select handful, desperately seeking the most evil looking men in the room as she had promised she would. Originally, she had begged me to use my powers to stop her, but I refused.  
"The child is weak," Jane smiled at me, her eyes a glowing crimson. She was at her kindest after feeding, but she was still despicable.   
"Your lack of feeding worries me," Aro scrunched his face. Did I care what worried him? He instantly knew my thoughts as he placed a hand on my shoulder, and sighed. "I cannot force you to feed, though I cannot allow you to perish through lack of consumption. I will give you the option I once gave to an old friend. You may go out and feed on wildlife."  
"Wildlife?" I wondered what David would think of the thought of me going out and killing animals for their blood. He was disheartened enough at my favorite meals of steak and burgers, but I was sure it would be much better than consuming humans.   
"I will let you take the girl," Aro smiled, easily reading through all my desires. I was shocked at his sudden kindness. "But be aware that you will be tracked, so please stay close and keep irresponsible activity to a minimum. It would be a shame to kill you now."   
Jane made an uninvited grunt and while I so desired to tear her apart, I had to be careful what thoughts crossed my mind when Aro had a hand on me. Being given this great gift of freedom to hunt wild animals was something I could not refuse, or chance losing through my forbidden desires. He smiled in agreement to my thoughts.   
"I need to go out tonight," I said quickly, trying to keep my mind occupied with useless thoughts, though I knew my efforts were futile as Aro could see everything, including things that were not currently on my mind.   
"It's a miracle how you resist this pain," he finally let go of me, placing a hand on his throat. Did he share the thirst that irked me and did this affect his ability to see my thoughts clearly? I pondered over this idea and wondered if I had found some way to combat his abilities.   
"Jane?" was all he said.  
"Happy to," she chided.

We happily ran out into the woods, seeing the outdoors for the first time since we were forced into this life. It was amazing how much one missed with human ears and the complete lack of smell. I could hear the sounds of even the most silent animals, feel their little hearts beating frantically whenever Gianna or I came close. I wanted to speak to her, and I wondered if Jane stayed close enough to listen.   
"I'm ashamed for what I've done tonight," Gianna finally spoke when we were a good distance away from the Volturi manor.   
"You've done nothing wrong," I tried to console her, but I knew that she would not listen, my clean slate of only having tasted her blood surely made her feel worse.   
"But you," she sighed, corroborating my feelings. "You are so powerful."  
"Please don't," I mumbled, and suddenly I heard her snarl wildly as she jumped into the thick trees. Even after feeding, she was wild like a panther, a true newborn as she explained to me. I knew she hated herself for being like this, unable to control her actions, and I wished that I could help her.   
"How...can you resist," she snarled at me, crouched in an offensive stance, though she fought off the need to murder the hapless hikers who came out at the wrong time.   
"I think of things more important. My brother, David, times when things were happy," it was true, my happiness that I shared with him still brought smiles to me even at the hardest times. I could remember the petty fights we had as kids, arguing until the end of time about something stupid, maybe about some video game character or some celebrity, but in the end, we didn't care, we never did. When we shared ice cream cones and sour patches, nothing else mattered. Every moment with him was great.   
"I see," she mumbled, finally easing up a bit, though the strain on her face was obvious. "You must have the purest love to be able to overcome this."  
"I get some help," I smiled, wishing that she could think of me as a friend as I saw in her. Not just a vampire partner, someone there for convenience and survival, but as an ally, an emotional bond tying us, something even the Cullens would be shocked to see.   
"Oh," was all she said, and I wondered if she even cared. I knew she held me closer than anyone else, never having attempted to use her powers on me, always staying close to me, but I also believed there was an emptiness, no truism. If I were like David, she would be loving me already; it was so easy for him to create emotional bonds, everyone loved him almost instantaneously. I would have to work harder.  
Then I caught a scent that actually lured me, not as sweet as the blood of human flesh I was so accustomed to, but much more appetizing. A feast that didn't come with guilt; a merciless lion who killed as much as any of us did. I lunged at my opportunity, running fast towards the only creature in the darkness that did not scurry away. Why would he? He had nothing to fear, never having faced a threat, though things were different now. It was easy to catch up to the beautiful creature, its tough hide showing no resistance to my powerful teeth. The blood flowed quickly into my mouth and it washed over my aching throat, a wondrous feeling I haven't faced since I was changed. I needed more.   
"This isn't as good as human blood," Gianna spat as she tossed an empty carcass on the ground. "But I like that there's no guilt." Her last word sent a note of joy tingling through my already stronger body. Guilt...a human emotion. If she could feel remorse, a feeling that the others have never considered, she could feel love too. It was not impossible for me to make her more than just a companion.   
"Want to race for the next one?" I asked, grinning as I heard the loud footsteps of a fleeting deer.   
"Oh honey, you stand no chance," she smiled back and jetted off into the night. Unfortunately, my throat was already singing at the tasty blood that washed over it when she arrived at the sight. Angry to have lost her prey, she lunged at me, and I was sure she would attempt to tear one of my limbs off, but she stopped. I stood completely still, staring at her in shock as her powerful hand gripped onto my left shoulder.   
"Bad...idea," she snarled through gritted teeth. "I don't want to kill you, I actually like you..." I smiled. I was halfway there.


	8. Chapter VIII - The Coven

Gianna was much more powerful than I gave her credit for. She slipped up a few times and killed a handful of humans, but she felt gravely upset about it and I held no antipathy towards her mistakes. But as mine, her eyes glowed a vibrant gold, like the Cullens, which mollified me exponentially, as this suggested that they too fed on animals and killed no humans.   
Things were slightly different now. It had been over a month, and we were thriving to the point that Jane and Alec no longer needed Aro's words to keep their distance. Only the three main Volturi circle, and the jet-black haired girl, Renatta who never separated from Aro dared to approach us. Both Gianna and I still felt enmity towards the Volturi, and I wondered why Aro had not ordered Chelsea to bind us to them, knowing clearly our every thought and emotion. Gianna had explained to me earlier that both Chelsea and Marcus had a way with understanding bonds between people, and their ability to alter such ties. It was also clear that Jane had despised us for her tacit demotion below us, particularly on the night that Aro had sent us out on an errand, despite feelings of disapproval from the rest of the clan.  
"They are powerful enough," Aro silenced the murmurs when he had called me into his throne room.  
"Your majesty?" I said coyly as I knelt on one knee. Gianna knelt inches from me on my left side. She was silent, as she never spoke to any of the Volturi, except through her mind to Aro when forced. Every time this happened, I tried to slip images into Aro's eyes to see if my powers would ever grow strong enough to do so. Sometimes he would make awed faces, which made me believe that I was slowly learning how to deceive his powers, how to weave specious images into his mind to mask my true intentions.  
"I hear a vampire clan of ours has been spotted by some humans as they were hunting," Aro explained to me with his same smile. "They claim they have cleaned up after themselves, but I do not take risks so close to my quarters. Your task is simple, you must find and destroy them."   
I winced at his words, and I knew Gianna fought all the emotions inside of herself to remain still besides me. Caius chuckled, and Marcus sat listlessly as always. In the same corner where Jane's diamond formation stood, I felt an intense amount of hatred percolating. I knew that the Volturi were planning to attack the Cullens soon, and this was my test of loyalty. Aro knew Gianna could kill since, though remorseful, she already had, but they doubted my pacifist ways and trying to force me to fight in such an intense battle would hurt them significantly. They had to confirm that I would fight.   
"As you please," I said in a low voice.  
"Would you like Felix or Demetri to accompany you?" Aro asked thoughtfully, a loud hiss coming from none other than Jane. I felt the stinging pain from her violent attack, but I held my ground, no longer affected by her useless talent. She tormented me with her ability every day, almost every second that I was with her. Her master's dominating voice often made her stop, but she would continue as soon as he turned his back. I no longer screamed, I no longer winced. I was somehow capable to resist the pain, block my mind from my physical body and carry on as though she did nothing. Jane's powers only inflicted the chicanery of pain, flooding in your mind and thus sending agony riveting through your body, but nothing she did could actually touch the corporeal. When I realized this, she was useless against me. This intensified her wrath towards me, and often she would unleash her powers on Gianna, who retaliated quickly with comatose.   
"Jane, please," Aro looked over at her. "Such power..." he said to me with bright eyes. "I've actually had Jane use her abilities on me, just out of curiosity. How you stand there as though you are being scratched by a fly amazes me!" The petite blonde snarled.  
"The vampire who I am to kill?" I asked, ignoring the idiocy that filled this room.  
"Ah, eager to please," Aro said delightfully and pulled out a white shirt stained with blood. Gianna and I committed the scent of the vampire to memory, easily blocking out the craving from the sweet human blood. Their tricks and guile never fooled us. We quickly took our leave.

As we approached the windows of the manor that we often used as our exit, we were stopped by an unexpected visitor. The young girl stared at me with her beaming blue eyes, her tiny body shivering slightly in what I could sense as fear. Her scent was sweet as I had remembered Gianna's to be. The girl opened her mouth as though to speak, but when only a small whine would escape, she ran off quickly.  
"Wait!" I shouted, but she jetted off, a tiny trail of tears fluttering out behind her, capturing the beauty of the moonlight.  
"What was that about?" Gianna raised an eyebrow. I only shrugged, though I knew her intentions. She wanted to know whether I was the vampire who protected her, kept her safe against Jane's powers and comforted her in her harshest times. She wanted to thank me, but didn't have the courage to speak, having only had negative experiences with vampires. I wanted to console her, but I could not approach her or Aro would find interest in my connection with her and attempt to have her converted. I failed to keep Gianna in her pristine state of life, and I would not fail for Sarah.

"Are we really going to kill them?" Gianna asked when we plunged into the ocean.   
"We have no choice," I sighed. "Jane's group will definitely be on our tail. They want to do whatever they can to make Aro distrust us."  
"That bitch can do whatever she desires, but Aro will not risk losing our powers," Gianna replied confidently.   
"How are you acting this way?" I asked, amused.  
"You don't like me as a vampire?" she chided playfully.  
"No, I meant how are you berating any member of the Volturi when Chelsea should have you bound tightly with Aro?"  
"My goodness you are dense," she chuckled. "It's hard to believe you figured out about the Cullens so quickly, and even harder still to see how powerful you are!"  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"What do you think holds the Cullens so close together? Their pretty little topaz eyes?" she mocked, back flipping in the water to splash a huge wave at me. She then jetted ahead, leaving me thinking about what she just said.   
It's true, why hadn't Chelsea broken the bonds of the Cullens to make them join the Volturi, particularly Alice if Aro loved her so much? Other than their abstemious diet of animals, what had they had that the Volturi lacked? I tried to think back to the way the Cullens acted in Dartmouth. I remembered Emmett's playful cracks with Bella, Nessie's automatic joy at the sight of Alice's face, and most of all, the love flooding between Edward and Bella. None of the Volturi acted in a way even closely resembling this, especially not Aro and his pasty wife who I barely saw. And I finally understood.  
"Wait a minute!" I shouted out towards Gianna as I swam as quickly as I could to catch up with her. I instantly knew that no matter how things turned out, whether we safely escaped the Volturi, or would be forced to fight them and lose, we would always be together. We had created a coven.

"I sense their trail," Gianna said, perched up on a tree.   
"They know we're here," I replied, moving closer to her. We jumped down, and pulled over the hood of our cloaks that marked us as members of the Volturi clan. We quickly walked towards the smell of the vampires we were assigned to kill. I couldn't fathom how we would actually accomplish our task, and I could tell that Gianna was no more excited about this as I. We moved at a slow pace for the creatures we were, and the two vampires, a male and female froze when they saw our hooded figures.  
"We cleaned our trail!" the female hissed. I could smell the fear in her voice, and it made me guilty. I wanted nobody to fear me except those who I worked for.  
"I'm shocked Aro didn't send Jane," the male snarled. Both Gianna and I looked up at the two, and the male looked at me quizzically. "How demeaning. He sent us newbies," he scoffed, though he showed signs of confusion as he stared intently into my eyes, vastly different from the others of the Volturi clan.   
"I take less pleasure than you in this meeting," I said calmly, though the other two were already in their battle stances, crouched, teeth bared, and claws ready to rip at any second. Their eyes were a bright red, which meant they had fed recently. They anticipated this meeting, and were ready to fight.  
"We do not wish to fight," Gianna tried to explain, but the other two laughed at her remark.  
"The Volturi are a bunch of crap," the male snarled angrily.  
"I do not agree with their actions, I only follow orders," I said quickly, and the male seemed a bit shaken at my comment, but he quickly composed himself back into his stance, ready to pounce at any moment.  
"What is our offense? Let's get this going, I don't have all day," he hissed.  
"Isaac, how quickly do you wish to die?" his partner scolded him.  
"Isaac?" Gianna asked curiously. "It is you! Why would Aro send us after you?"  
"Don't talk to me like you know me!" he hissed and lunged towards Gianna.  
"Stop!" I shouted, sending the dirt below to surround him. Isaac crushed my barrier into dust, though he stared at me wide-eyed.  
"So he got himself some new toys," he growled again. "Don't get cocky. Even unique powers won't stop Aro from killing you once you've served your purpose!" With that, he vanished from sight, and the female vampire lunged at me. I compelled a tree from its roots and flung it at the female who quickly swiped her arm, crushing it into pieces. These two were strong, and I couldn't understand why Aro hadn't sent Jane to fight. I used my powers to freeze the woman in her respectful position, and she let out a wild howl as she lost control of her body.  
"Brad, watch out!" Gianna shouted, and I felt a sharp blow hit me in the back of my neck, and hissed at the stinging pain. This interrupted my concentration, and the woman plunged her hard body at me, sending me flying through several trees. As she came at me again, she had fallen to the ground in a slumber induced by Gianna.  
"I'm sorry," my partner said. "If I had known it was Isaac, I would have warned-" she was interrupted and screamed as a loud tearing sound followed the detachment of her left arm. I know understood why Aro had not sent Jane. Isaac's special talent was to cloak in the shadows, and if Jane didn't know where he was, her powers were useless, as was Gianna's now. Alec would have to send his mist flying everywhere to affect Isaac, which could potentially harm his entire team. Though a tracker like Demetri should be able to find his scent, I knew that Aro did not want to risk losing Jane or Alec in a battle he knew I could handle.  
"Nobody hurts her and gets away with it," I snarled angrily. I closed my eyes and concentrated on reformulating the hidden body of our foe. He had immense power, but I could sense his body moving quickly. He could easily hide himself from someone who relied on the eyes and mind to see, but he could not fool my mastery of the physical world. He swung around to my left side, and I barely dodged his blow. I felt him come at me again from the back, and I jumped into the air, scattering the dirt below me. The dry dirt fluttered off the ground into dust cloud, formulating the outline of Isaac's body.  
"Gianna!" I shouted, and within seconds, I heard a loud thud, telling me she had put him to rest. Worried, I ran over to aid her, but her arm was already securely back in place. "I'm sorry," I said.  
"No, that was my fault," she replied, rubbing her shoulder where her arm had been torn off. "I should have known. I can't believe Aro chose to kill Isaac...he was such an important member of the Volturi, with phenomenal powers."  
"I can see that," I mumbled, looking at the motionless figures of the two vampires on the ground. I wondered what happened to them when Gianna used her mysterious powers. Were they still conscious, only unable to move their bodies, or did they fall into the same trance as with Alec's powers? Our kind did not sleep, so the fact that she could induce sleep was quite fascinating. I decided I would ask her to try it on me if we ever got away from this mess and into safety.  
"Must we?" Gianna looked reluctantly at the two motionless bodies. I nodded, and I knew that if she were still human, she would be crying now. "At least they will not feel anything," she said as she reluctantly ripped apart the woman's body and set it to flames. She turned her back to Isaac. "Please..." she said as she walked a good distance away.   
"Of course..." I mumbled, kneeling down to the one she probably saw as a friend. If there were any way to save him, I would, but Aro would be able to read through our memories and we would be killed. Even if I were right and I could cloud some of my thoughts from him, he could see through Gianna’s mind. Though I knew I could easily muddle Demetri's tracking abilities, I knew that Aro would be a threat. I saw Gianna cringe at the shredding sound of every piece of Isaac's body being torn apart, and she was weeping tearlessly. I closed my eyes, focused my strength to purge the effects of Gianna's spell, and set the forest ablaze.


	9. Chapter IX - The Secret

As we returned to the Volturi throne, an unexpected guest welcomed us.  
"Someone's here," I whispered, extending an arm out in front of Gianna. While she was improving tremendously in self-control, I did not want to take the chance.  
"It's Sarah," Gianna cringed her face as the exuberant smell of the girl’s blood flooded the narrow corridor. The small child hid behind the wall at the turn of a corner, poking her tiny head out and staring at us with frightful eyes speckled with the infinitesimal hint of curiosity.  
"What is it you seek?" I said too coldly.  
"Be kind, she's a child and her work is difficult," Gianna explained emphatically. She knew how the young girl felt because prior to her, she was the human servant of the Volturi. I only hoped that Sarah would not be used as the first meal for the next newborn as Gianna had, though I knew her fate in the Volturi cathedral was only ominous.  
"It is best for her to not be involved with us," I muttered, knowing full well that anyone involved with me would either be punished or forced to join the ranks in my coterie. Still unable to relinquish the guilt of ruining Gianna's life, I could not fathom the possibility of turning Sarah into a lifeless drone as well.  
"I..." the girl's soft voice cracked as soon as she opened her mouth and hot rivulets rolled down her large, crystal blue eyes.  
"Do not be caught speaking to me," I muttered with hostility. "Jane will not take it lightly. And when given the opportunity, you must run," I explained clearly, though I knew not whether I could ever gift her the chance to try.  
"Do not take his advice lightly," Gianna added. "He only means well." The young girl looked over at us one last time before jetting down the halls as fast as human legs would take her. As she came across the next turn, she gasped and stumbled as uninvited guests met her.  
"Great," Gianna muttered as the unpleasant chuckle of Felix vibrated down the hall.  
"What do we have here?" He snickered and the girl began sobbing. "I generally don't like criers, it irritates me. I can help you stop if you'd like." The girl screamed, and I jetted down the hall to see her flailing her arms and legs as Felix held her tightly by the neck.  
"Let her go," I muttered angrily.  
"Or what?" Felix challenged, tightening his grip around the young girl's neck.  
"Let me-" Gianna started, but I put my arm out, motioning her to stop.  
"Don't get involved," I instructed. I had informed her time and time again to not go against Aro or the wishes of the Volturi. I wanted to keep her safe, and that meant ensuring that she would do nothing that would make it appear as though she were a threat.  
"Finally stopped crying," Felix chuckled, his grip now strong enough to tear a normal person in two. But Sarah was not normal. She had me protecting her. No vampire's grasp could cut through the solid stone barrier that I had wrapped around her body. How soon would Felix learn that in my presence, he could not kill her?  
"Clever little trick," he smirked, unclenching his fist, causing the girl to shriek as she fell to the ground. I moved swiftly to procure her petite body, but was interjected with a hard blow to from my right.  
"Brad!" Gianna shouted as I plummeted into the wall, Demetri pinning me down tightly as Felix once again picked up the crying girl. Before I could recreate a physical barrier on the girl, Felix had slammed her into the wall, certainly breaking several bones.  
"No!" I shouted out as Felix quickly pierced his fingers into Sarah's chest, now unprotected and exposed. The sweet scent of her blood filled the air, followed by a loud thud as Gianna's powers overwhelmed Felix. I did not blame her for disobeying my orders and using her powers against Felix; I knew that she was just as furious as I was at our failure in protecting Sarah. As she channeled her powers to Demetri, I rushed over to the lifeless body, blood flowing vigorously from her pale neck onto the marble floor.  
"You...you did this!" I shouted out to Felix, my body trembling in rage. But before I could tear him apart like I wished I could, Gianna grabbed me.  
"Brad, stop!" She screamed. "The Volturi will surely punish you if you kill him! The girl may survive if you convert her now!"  
"Becoming one of us is not surviving!" I cried out, though I did not struggle to break loose from Gianna. I could overcome her easily, but even blinded in my rage, I knew that destroying Felix would only cause more problems.  
"We must stop the bleeding," Gianna moved quickly, tearing off a piece of her robes and wrapping Sarah's body. "You must change her! I do not have the self control to do so!" she begged, trying her hardest to prevent Sarah's blood from leaving her body. Reluctantly, I knelt down and sank my teeth into her soft neck.   
"How many people have to suffer at the hands of the Volturi..." I muttered angrily.  
"You speak too loosely," Gianna sighed. "Do not let your words be heard by the wrong ears."  
"It's not like we can hide anything from Aro," I countered, though I already knew that I could. I had to ensure that Gianna did not know I had finally understood how to isolate some of my memories, thoughts, and emotions in the deepest corners of my physical body. How I could package small spheres of thought away from the mind where Aro was omniscient. I could not hide much, nor did I have the strength to do so for extended periods of time, but slowly my powers grew and I was able to hide significant details from him. At times when I felt my strength growing weary, I could conjure up the deepest agony - Jane's fiery bolts of pain, the avaricious hunger for human blood, the emotional trauma of my mother's death - and Aro would not be able to face the horrors for long, being forced to let my hand go.  
"My what do we have here," his cloying voice echoed.  
"He intended to kill the girl, we had no other choice," Gianna defended herself as Aro studied the bodies clearly affected by her powers.  
"May I?" He asked. I walked over to him to give him my hand, but he shook his head. "You," he said to Gianna. Had he already figured out that I could hide things from him? Or were there too many horrific memories hidden within me that made it difficult for him to scour my thoughts for long? Gianna slowly walked towards him, reluctantly giving him a hand.  
"Interesting," he mumbled as he searched through her mind. "Splendid..." he smiled, letting her hand go. "You two have done a great job in bringing justice to Isaac. What great warriors you've become. Your strength together is remarkable. This little strife you had; why is it so important for you to protect our dear Sarah?"  
"She is but a child, in constant danger in this throne," Gianna explained. "Someone must ensure that she is not harmed."  
"Do you not believe we can protect our own employees," Aro challenged.  
"At the present situation she was in danger and we, being part of the Volturi, found it imperative that we protect one of our own, whether she be human or vampire," I countered.  
"Quick with your wit, articulate with your words. How you continue to impress me," Aro chuckled creepily. "I will ignore this little strife and I suggest you prevent it from happening again. I would hate to lose either of you."  
"And the girl?" Gianna asked.  
"A gift to you," Aro spoke to me. "Do as you wish with her." With that, he took his leave, Renatta glued to him as she always was.  
"They will awaken soon, let us leave here as well," Gianna added. I scooped up the girl in my arms, and we quickly returned to our quarters. While I wished that she could remain human, I was glad that she would be allowed to live. Like I had done with Gianna, I would focus my next three days ensuring that she was born powerful, able to protect herself so that she could never be harmed again.

When she awakened, she was no longer the sweet, innocent girl she was before. She snarled viciously, forgetting everything and anything beyond her thirst. We expected it, and were prepared. Thankfully we had an arsenal of skills that would allow us to control her until she learned to control herself.  
"Sarah, you must control this," Gianna urged.  
"Let me go!" She hissed, incapable of moving her body as I bound her tightly against the wall.  
"We need to feed her," I explained quickly.  
"If you let her go, she will attack," Gianna said, concerned.  
"Sarah," I spoke softly, gazing intently into her ebony eyes, an infinitesimal crescent of crimson drowning deeply within. "I understand you are in a lot of pain and that you are confused, but we can help you. Will you please listen?"  
"What's happening to me?" She asked, her body trembling as I slowly eased my hold on her.  
"I'm sorry, Sarah, we tried our best to protect you," I muttered regretfully. "But I failed"  
"I-" she gasped, and I knew she suffered greatly with her thirst. Fighting the anger, the pain, she slowly looked up into my eyes, no longer fearful of me. "I've become one of you."  
"I'm sorry," I didn't know how many times I could apologize before the guilt would ease up. "If only I were stronger, I could have prevented it. But even in this form, there is a future for you," I whispered to her. "Run..." She looked into my eyes as though she longed to say something, but it was unnecessary. I understood her and felt her gratitude exuding out of her. The words were unimportant.  
"She must feed," I told Gianna.  
"No!" The girl shirked. "I cannot kill any more people!"  
"You've killed no one, it was all the doing of the Volturi," Gianna explained. "And you've no reason to harm a soul."  
"Let me show you," I smiled, grabbing her hand and jumping out of one of the ostentatious windows of the Volturi throne. I ran swiftly through the dense trees, still pulling Sarah with me.  
"Careful!" Gianna shouted, running after us.  
"Ready?" I asked, and the young girl nodded both in amusement and fear. I tossed her over a clearing, and she landed softly on a cliff a good distance away. The ferocious snarl of a lion welcomed her into her first battle. While a part of me feared the tiny girl facing the enormous animal, I knew that she was a newborn and thus had titanic strength. She easily fought off the forest beast. I jumped over, ensuring that Gianna was far enough that her powers would not be effective. "Go," I mouthed silently to Sarah, and she took off into the woods.  
"Sarah!" Gianna shouted out. "What is it!?"  
"I don't smell human blood," I muttered, pretending to be addled at what had caused this strange behavior. She weaved through the trees with mercurial speed, and both Gianna and I were quickly falling behind.  
"Can you bind her?" Gianna grunted, ducking under a tree. "My powers do not reach her."  
"Let her go," I almost whispered, stopping suddenly as Sarah jetted off quickly until I could barely see her.  
"Are you crazy!? If she does not return, Aro will send Demetri to kill her! And she is a newborn! Do you know how dangerous that is!?"  
"I want her to be free," I explained. "Aro explicitly said that I was to do as I wished with her. This is what I wish."  
"I do not think he will take this lightly," Gianna scrunched her face in concern.  
"So we keep it a secret," I smiled.  
"A secret? Now you've really lost your mind."  
"You're saying you keep no secrets?"  
"Not from Aro. You know he has the ability to see everything, even thoughts that we have long forgotten."  
"So what do you wish to do? Go after her? I don't suppose you know where she's gone?"  
"How dare you," Gianna tried to sound angry, but she couldn't prevent letting a tiny smirk appear on her face. "You deceived me."  
"Only to let the girl go," I chuckled. "Never again will I keep a secret from you," of course, I was again lying. There were many secrets I kept from Gianna, though my only intention in doing so was to protect her. If she knew all that I kept hidden in the pockets of my body, Aro would quickly destroy both her and me.  
"And what of Aro and Demetri?" She was clearly still concerned.  
"You were not to blame, he will see that. Only I will be punished," I tried to comfort her, but she found little peace in this explanation. We both knew that Aro would want her back, afraid that her knowledge of the Volturi clan would be a threat. What Gianna didn't know was that Sarah would be safe, hidden in the confines of my mysterious ability, of which even I still did not understand its limits. I knew that I could not only mask her from Demetri's tracking abilities, but hide the truth from Aro, having already done so with another. My powers were perfect - they had granted me the ability to save others.


	10. Episode I - Worry

It had been a while since I heard from Brad. He never missed my calls unless he was in class, and I couldn't remember the last time he failed to return my calls. Was his crazy vampire scheme true and was he killed? I chuckled at the thought. His obsession was starting to rub off on me.  
I called him again, no response. I hated not knowing how my brother was doing, and while I believed in the whole twinship thing, I was too far from him to know whether he was in trouble or not. I wondered if I should go to New Hampshire to surprise him, but would he be unhappy at my sudden decision if he were trying to ignore me? I couldn't accept that he would do such a thing. I was his closest friend and he hated people too much, he would need to keep in contact with me or go crazy in solitude. Was this vampire obsession of his driving him away from the real world, or did he make some friends and my existence became nominal? I didn't want to accept any of my hypotheses.  
I called again, and this time it went straight to voicemail. That meant his phone died, as he never turned it off, nor was there anywhere around New Hampshire where he would go that he would reach an out-of-signal location. Fear crept up in the pit of my stomach. I had to go see him. I made a different call this time.   
"Hey, Carol. Yeah, I think I'm gonna take you up on that offer. Yeah. I miss my brother and I want to go see him," I wondered if she could tell I was lying, but what reason did she have to even suspect anything?  
"Yes. A whole week!? That would be great! Thank you so much! Thanks again, I owe you big time!" It was great having a boss who respected me so much, and even greater still that she had previously offered me a vacation to surprise my brother at New Hampshire when I told her how I worried about him being alone.   
"Don't worry Brad...I'm coming," I said to myself. Maybe I was overreacting, but something told me things weren't right. I knew my brother well enough that he would at least contact me to calm my already officious self.

I was going even crazier on the plane. I could hardly sit still as I wondered what was waiting for me at New Hampshire. Would my brother be there sitting silently on his bed and be annoyed that I just showed up? I had left numerous messages, so if he bothered to look at his phone, he would expect me. I wouldn't be able to stomach it if something really did happen to him. As I drowned myself in my worry, I noticed an exceptionally beautiful woman sitting across from me. She had pure white skin, the whitest I've ever seen that glowed radiantly in the plane's dim lights. Her eyes were a beautiful gold, sparkling more than her skin was. She had her hair cut short, perky in black spikes. She had the perfection of a statue, or perhaps some super model, but what business did a super model have in New Hampshire. I shuffled nervously and looked out the window when she smiled at me, and I was sure I was blushing.  
"Do you mind if I close it?" she asked, gesturing towards the window. Her angelic, sing-song voice surprised me.  
"Um, sure," I replied, a bit shaky. I couldn't take my eyes off of her, and it seemed as though she acted the same, those flawless topazes staring intently at me as though she were trying to figure something out.  
"You look just like him," she chuckled, and I instantly knew what she meant.  
"Oh! You know Brad!" I said excitedly, wondering if she was a close friend of his. That would be unlikely as he never made friends. Nonetheless, it calmed me to be speaking to someone who knew him.  
"I'm Alice Cullen," she said. I instantly knew she was one of the several that my brother thought a vampire during his neurotic escapades. Studying her features, her flawless voice and that sweet scent he told me about, I wondered if he might not be as crazy as I originally thought.  
"I think he was a friend of my brother, Edward, and my sister-in-law, Bella. They seem to have quite a liking to him," she smiled brightly. I couldn't believe my brother made friends, though remembering that he thought them as vampires and would probably study them intently made me realize he would try to at least fake friendship with them.  
"You look surprised?" she said inquisitively.  
"Well, my brother isn't one to make friends," I said bluntly.  
"Neither are Bella and Edward. Seems a perfect match," again she flashed that smile that made my heart almost stop. "So David, what brings you here?" with that question, her smile vanished and she instantly became very serious.  
"I came to check on Brad. I'm a little worried about him, though I don't understand why. It's just a gut feeling, I call it a twinship. I usually know when something is wrong with him," I smiled a weak smile.  
"Oh..." she paused, as though wondering whether she should tell me something or not. "I'm actually going to see Edward about something to do with him..."  
"Is something the matter? What happened? What's going on!?" I shouted, almost lunging out of my seat.  
"I don't really know," Alice said quickly, as if already regretting telling me what she did.  
"So what are you talking to him about?" I asked, trying to relax. I felt bad for throwing myself at her as she probably knew nothing and I was most likely overreacting. But I did know that she knew something I didn't and I needed to figure out what was going on.  
"Edward told me he stopped coming to class and I saw-" she stopped herself. "I saw him before," I knew that wasn't what she was going to say, but already embarrassed about my previous outburst, I decided to let it go. "And he seemed very...studious," again, she said a different word than what I knew she wanted to say.  
"Is that all you know?" I asked her, leaning closer to her and looking intently into her eyes, wondering if I could persuade her to tell me more. "I mean...it seems like you're holding something back," I flashed a smile. "Brad is the closest person to me, and you must understand my pain. How would you feel if the situation were reversed and it were I who knew something about Edward?"  
I knew I hit home with that statement as she looked at me intently, studying me with a motionless expression. She would want me to explain everything to her if things were the other way around, and she knew that, but something dire was holding her back. Almost like a secret, like the secret life of vampires that my brother obsessed over. Was it more than just an obsession? I placed a hand on hers, and was shocked at the iciness. She quickly pulled away.   
"I want to-" she started and gasped. She stared blankly into the space in front of her as though she had fallen into a trance. Her eyes flickered lightly as though she were watching a movie, a movie in her mind? Was she daydreaming?  
"Oh my god..." she finally gasped.  
"What?" I was confused and even more afraid, my blood pulsing quickly.  
"I cannot say anything more to you," she said, hiding her face as though looking at me would make her spill out the truth.  
"Please, is my brother okay!?" I could barely speak and my voice cracked at the thought of something happening to him.  
"I can only let you come with me, and nothing more..." Alice said, and I had no choice. My brother had gone missing in Dartmouth, perhaps fallen off a mountain on one of his hikes, maybe kidnapped by someone, or worse, was he a little treat for the vampires he was so determined to prove existed? I had to follow Alice. Perhaps Edward and his wife would know more.

"Interesting choice of company," Edward glowered at Alice.  
"This concerns him more than you think," she said. Edward muttered something to her in such low and quick words that I could not make out what was said. Edward's eyes bulged out of his sockets as though he heard some astonishing news, though I could barely hear words exchanged.  
"What do we do?" another female, about the same age as Edward, asked quietly.  
"We knew this day would come, it was inevitable. Call Carlisle," Edward spoke quickly, but he spoke clearly enough for me to hear, though it was obvious he didn't need to. I could see what Brad meant when these guys were different. Not in a bad way, but special, something a bit inhuman, but too human to comfortably call them vampires. I wondered if Brad figured things out and that's why he was killed by one of them, but I ruled out that possibility immediately as I studied them, just as preoccupied as I was and just too friendly to be able to intentionally murder.  
Edward scowled, and I wondered if more unheard dialogue occurred between the three that stood in the room. The girl held tightly onto Edward as though they were joined at the hip, and I knew she was Bella. Their love was overwhelming, just throbbing out of them and filling the entire room. Everything Brad said was accurate down to the finest detail of their marble skin and golden eyes. I wanted to test his theory.  
"Bella, go check on Nessie," Edward snapped as he leered at me when I placed my hand into my pocket. He shot a glance at his sister so fast that I almost missed it, but I definitely saw her take a step back and Bella left the room too quickly. I jabbed the tip of the pen in my pocket into my finger, puncturing the skin of my thumb as I had seen protagonists do in low-budget movies. I then pulled it out, and squeezed until a single droplet of blood pushed out of the little wound.  
"Crap," I mumbled, pretending it was an accident. I was good at lying unlike Brad, but the look on Edward's face seemed as though he knew my intentions. "Sorry, does anyone have a bandage?" I gestured my wounded hand towards Alice who shook her head quickly, taking another step back and covering her mouth with her small hands. They were acting strange enough for me to suspect something and doubt Brad a little less. He was a smart kid, and I should've trusted him from the beginning.  
"Why did you bring him?" Edward snapped at Alice.  
"It's his brother!" she shrieked in response. "How can you be so insensitive!?"  
"Insensitive!?" Edward snarled. "How can you think this was a good idea!? Do you know what the Volturi will do if-"  
"The Volturi have already made their decision," Alice snapped. "You saw. They are coming whether they find him or not. He's safer with us!" I wasn't sure what they were talking about and worried for the safety of Brad. Was he in danger by this Volturi - whoever they were - and did these things not care? It was irritating me.  
"Someone tell me what's going on," I said angrily.  
"We can't," Edward shot a deathly look at me, his intense gaze making my body tremble. “And I’d appreciate if you’d quit your little games,” he added viciously, glowering at my bleeding thumb. I quickly put my thumb into my mouth to remove any blood that may be affecting the others had they been vampires.  
"The Volturi are coming regardless and this time, they will fight," Alice told Edward. "It makes no difference what more we do, not that we did anything wrong to begin with."  
"If we tell him, we are giving them a reason-"  
"Stop it!" I shouted out angrily. "I can see that Brad was right. You guys are not human. No human could ever be okay with leaving me in the darkness while my brother is facing some terrifying situation where some Volturi might harm him!" Brad was right; these apathetic creatures were far from human.  
"Don't you dare call us apathetic," Edward hissed. How did he know what I was thinking? Had I said those words to him, or were these things more than just the ordinary vampire like Brad assumed. He said something about mind-reading.  
"Edward, you already know that he sees what we are," I heard Bella’s voice as she walked back into the room holding tightly onto the hand of what looked like a seven year old girl. White, marble skin like the others, but with more color in her peachy cheeks and flushed lips.  
"Brad!" the little girl trilled in the same sing-song voice as Bella.  
"No Nessie, that's his brother," Bella said sweetly to the little girl who looked at me, vexed.  
"That's beside the point. I refuse to put my family in any more danger-" Edward began.  
"You saw it!" Alice hissed. "You know as well as I do that they are coming to kill us, and David is in as much danger as any of us." Why was I in danger? I thought this was about Brad? Their conversation was creating as many questions as they were answering.  
"You can't be serious!" Edward shouted to Alice though I could no longer tell what was upsetting him. It seemed as if everything upset this male, me being the biggest of his worries.  
"You know Carlisle and Esme both will refuse to put him in danger. Would you rather they die protecting him when he can be made to fight with us?" the perky girl snapped.  
"You can't be thinking to change him," now Bella gasped in surprise.  
"She's already made the decision," Edward glowered at his sister. Change me? Fight? What were they talking about? Things were definitely much more serious than I thought, and I couldn't help but realize that Brad was in the center of this.  
"If someone doesn't tell me what's going on-" I started.  
"You can't do anything," Edward snarled. "They'll murder you before you can blink."  
"Unlike you, I have a heart and I vow to protect the person I love most," I said calmly. "He is half of me, and more significant to me than even my own life. Isn't there someone you promised your life and knowing death was inevitable, you'll still plunge yourself into the darkness for just the slightest chance to save him?"  
The three looked at me speechlessly. They glanced at one another as though once again having a soundless conversation, and I knew that they finally understood. Whether they helped me or not, whether these Volturi could snap me in half before I could even see Brad, I would take that chance to save him, and nobody could stop me. And the way the three looked at each other, I knew they would do the same for each other. Their love was strong, as tight as mine for my brother, and it made me feel guilty for thinking of them as apathetic drones.  
“I’ll save Bradley!” Nessie trilled cheerfully. “Bradley loves me and I love him too!”  
"Well if Nessie agrees, then who will change him?" Bella finally asked.  
"Bella!" Edward hissed. "The decision has not been made. Carlisle and Esme will definitely be on my side on this matter."  
"The decision has been made," Alice snapped back.  
"You think a newborn is any better than a mortal?" Edward challenged. I was still lost, but I knew they argued about me and some change, a big decision I would have to make in the near future. And something about a newborn? Was I being reborn?  
"I don't think he will be a typical newborn," Bella said, a smile on her face. Alice seemed to understand what she meant and nodded.  
"Bella, you were an exception," Edward said, frowning. He was clearly losing the argument.  
"And do you know why that is?" Bella asked, pulling Edward closer to her. She closed her eyes, the smile still on her face, but faltering with obvious strain as though trying to mentally speak to her partner.  
"Bella!" Edward shouted, all anger dissipated. "You make a valid point, but again, it's not a matter that I am willing to negotiate."  
"Tomorrow," Alice said with a quick nod. She smiled at me. What was I getting myself into?


	11. Episode II - Overwhelmed

The night had gone by extremely slow, sleepless and full of worry for the safety of my brother. The next day was no better when six more joined the four Cullens who I've gotten to know better. Alice, the small, perky girl who I met on the plane, Bella and her husband Edward, and their daughter Nessie. The six who joined were Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle, Esme, and one completely different from the others, Jacob. He was a huge man, one of those sick body-builders, and had dark black eyes and tanned skin, considerably different from the other pale ones. He had a strong connection with Nessie that made me believe he was her father and not Edward. It still amazed me how the two, no more than mid-twenties, could have a daughter who looked like she could be seven and quickly growing to eight. Until they flooded me with information that would make anybody explode.  
"What?" I said again, unable to comprehend what they just said.  
"Vaaaampiiiiirrreeeessss," Emmett said slowly as though mocking me.  
"I understand it's difficult," the sweet, motherly Esme said in her soft, kind voice. "But from what Edward tells me, both you and your brother figured it out already."  
"And how does he know?" was the first of the million questions fluttering in my mind. What could they do? How many people did they kill to feed? Who were the Volturi? How many of them were there? And of course, the whole reason I was here, what did any of this have to do with my brother?  
"Whoa, one question at a time," Edward said, still clearly not used to the idea of sharing this information with me.  
"I’m sorry, but I can’t control my thoughts,” I frowned. As unreasonable as it sounded, he had to be reading my mind to react the way he did to everything I thought. Brad had to be right about the mind-reading thing.  
"Correct again," he grinned, eyeing me with a more friendly look than he had given me since we met.  
"Are you able to control this?” I asked kindly. So he was a mind-reader.  
"I know, it's a pain in the ass," the one called Jacob chuckled and Bella elbowed him in the gut. "Ow! Damn it, you know you actually hurt me now right?"  
"That's payback for breaking my hand," she snapped.  
"You did that yourself!" Jacob complained.  
"Please, can we focus?" Edward growled at Jacob who scowled.  
"Daddy's jealous," the oversized male smiled at Nessie who giggled in glee. Edward shot another dirty glance at him before facing me again.  
"For your questions," he continued formally. "We are vampires who feed on animal blood much like you humans eat meat, oh excuse me, I wasn't aware you were an exception," he bowed and I grumbled in irritation. I wished there were a way to keep him out of my head. "Well, I apologize if you think our killing of animals is senseless-"  
"Must you keep reading my thoughts?” I asked, slightly irritated, but I tried to curb my attitude. “It makes me very self-conscious.”  
"I'm sorry, but my powers are not something I can con-" Edward began.  
"I can help," Bella sighed, and Edward frowned in disbelief. She smiled at him, and that seemed to placate him slightly. She continued, "As sweet Edward was saying." Emmett grunted and Rosalie smacked him across the head. They didn't seem any different from a regular family minus the super powers and white skin.   
"As I was saying," Edward continued, glowering at the biggest of the vampires. "We believe that hunting animals is morally acceptable since humans eat animals as well. We never kill humans, this is our entire family you see here, but there are certainly many more vampires in the world, such as the Volturi. The Volturi are a vicious group of vampires that act as the head of all vampires, and they oversee that our existence remains in secrecy. If humans are to find out about our existence, then they hunt the vampires that are responsible, and they determine what the proper justice would be."  
"And my brother found out about you guys, and that's why he's in trouble with the Volturi?" I gasped. "What happens to humans who know?"  
"It depends, but the Volturi don't take it lightly," Bella replied.   
"I'm too late," I whispered, and fell to the ground. I couldn't believe that I had lost the most important thing to me so quickly. It had been a matter of days, and I reacted immediately coming out here to check on him. I couldn't believe how fast things could happen.  
"He's not dead," Alice said to me gravely, and I knew there was a catch. If the Volturi were known to kill the vampires who told humans about their existence, why would they let a human survive if he knew? And why would anyone act so negatively to news as good as the survival of my brother? There was only one explanation, and I fought to hold back my nausea.   
"He's one of you..." I said in disbelief. I felt a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I could hardly breathe. I couldn't determine if it was better that he be a living vampire, or if he were dead. No, I was being an idiot, of course it was better that he was a vampire! I'm sure if he had the choice, he would choose to become one with his absurd love of folklore. This thought eased me up a bit, and actually cheered me up significantly. Maybe he was happy becoming what he always wanted.  
"I know this is difficult," Carlisle tried to console me.  
"I want to see him," I said immediately, and everyone looked at me in disbelief.  
"It doesn't...bother you?" Alice asked.  
"I see that all of you are more human than many humans I've met," I replied. "And I know Brad. He's still going to be the same person whether he were a vampire or a werewolf." Jacob chuckled at my last statement, and Bella elbowed him again. "I'd rather my brother be a vampire than be dead. I want to see him."  
"It's not that simple..." Alice mumbled.  
"I don't understand," I frowned. It was so irritating to get information from them pieces at a time. "Can you just tell me everything, as quickly as possible before I explode?"  
"Sheesh, your impatience reminds me of someone a little while ago," Alice looked at Bella who glared back. "Your brother is being trained by Aro, the head of the Volturi. As you've seen between us, some vampires have special powers. I can see things in the future, Edward can read minds, Jasper can control the atmosphere of emotions, Nessie can make you see everything that goes on in her mind, and Bella has the ability to shield all powers that work through the mind. To the Volturi, Bella's powers are the biggest threat. Up until recently, the twins Jane and Alec were their strongest fighters. Jane can inflict great pain through your mind, and Alec can numb all your senses, but Bella can defend against these, making their powers useless against us."  
"Wait," I shook my head. "These powers you speak of seem extremely powerful, but you say that they were the strongest fighters...until recently?"  
"Yes...I'm afraid...they've acquired some new powers..." Alice grimaced.  
"New powers?" Carlisle asked, intrigued.  
"My brother?" I could barely think of him as a vampire, and now he was the strongest fighter in the Cullens' enemy group?  
"Yes," Alice sighed. "I can't see very clearly, but Aro is very excited about his powers, and the creation of this new vampire was what made the Volturi decide to come fight us. They will use Edward and Bella's clumsiness of letting Brad find out about our existence as an excuse to destroy us."  
"But that's crazy! They turned the only witness into one of them!" Emmett shouted out.  
"Yes, and they are playing safely. They've decided to kill one of their strongest fighters, one with the power of invisibility, for leaking out information to a human, even though he cleaned up his act by recruiting the witness to the Volturi clan," Alice explained, covering her face with her tiny hands. "If the Volturi kill one of their own, particularly someone of high rank, they can get away with killing us on the same terms without controversy."  
"They are smart..." Carlisle sighed. "I guess the fight is inevitable. I will start the calls." The beautiful blonde sulked to a corner, concern and anguish filling the flawless features of his face. It was obvious he disliked battle, but even he knew that it was unavoidable, and I saw him quickly pressing numbers on his phone.  
"So what is Brad's powers?" I asked curiously.  
"I'm not sure, I don't see it clearly," Alice shook her head. I could tell she hated when she didn't know something.   
"Can I...venture a guess?" I offered.  
"What do you know?" Edward asked, interested.  
"My brother...he always had this mysterious gift to get what he wanted, as long as he wanted it badly enough. He thought it was mere coincidence, but I had an objective view of how he acted and what he got in life, and I could tell it was more than just luck. I mean, he figured out about you guys so quickly, and I feel like some things had to be more than just chance. Even coming here...he could barely finish high school because he worked so many hours at a restaurant, and he had no extracurricular activities or recommendations, but Dartmouth somehow accepted him."   
"Like Siobhan," Carlisle offered before turning his attention back to his phone.  
"Siobhan?" the name was unfamiliar to me.  
"She is another vampire, with the mysterious abilities to skew the outcome of a situation in a way that she desires," Edward explained. I could see by the way he talked that he respected her ability. “That may be the reason why Alice cannot see him clearly.”  
"I see," I nodded. "In that case, I believe that his powers will be something similar. And...if Alice is right in saying that Brad is now the strongest fighter, I assume that Aro thinks something he can do will be used as a primary weapon against-"  
"Bella," Edward looked at the young girl who now stood frozen. "No I can't let her-"  
"Edward, stop it," she replied. "We all knew I would be the first target, and with Zafrina helping us-"  
"We don't know how strong he is-" Edward started.  
"Stop!" I shouted angrily. "Are you guys telling me that you are going to fight him?"  
"We have no choice," the quiet blonde muttered his first words since we met. "Unfortunately, if he puts Bella in any kind of danger, I will have to make it my duty to take him out." I shuddered at his words.  
"Jasper!" Alice shouted.  
"There is no other way," the male said coolly, and retreated back to his silent corner.   
"I agree with him," the blonde female now spoke. "I swear to protect my sister, just as I'm sure you would swear to protect your brother."  
"Rosalie..." Bella seemed slightly shocked at her sincere words.  
"I'm sorry, if we could find another way, we will," Esme told me. "We will try our very best to keep him alive, but we cannot promise anything. This is a battle and we must do what we can to protect our family. Please try to understand."  
I wanted to hate them for what they were saying, I wanted to kill them all right now, but I knew I couldn't. Even if I were strong enough to kill this entire room of vampires, I knew I would not be able to find it in me to do it. As they spoke of potentially ending my brother's life, the one person I swore to protect, I could find no enmity towards them and that made me hate myself more than anything.   
I trembled in rage and fear as I mulled over the possible loss of my brother, but also wanted to prevent the loss of any member in this room, though I had just met them. It was clear how genuine they were, and I could believe that the Volturi was nothing but a menace. I didn't understand how my brother could ever want to side with them, and I chose to believe in him. He was the most morally just person I knew, and he would never choose to join the Volturi to kill the Cullens, whether they tried to brainwash him into thinking the Cullens were bad. He would never choose to kill anyone, and even with just reason, he would still hesitate.  
The Volturi were definitely trying to control him, and I knew that if I were there on the battlefield, I could undo any manipulation they may have inflicted on him. I knew for a fact that he was one of the strongest people, not even my deceptive tricks able to persuade him to do something he was firmly against. I knew, that when it came down to the battle, he would be able to resist the urge to fight. No, he would definitely resist the urge to fight, and as soon as the battle began, the twins would destroy him before he lifted a finger. I could not let that happen.  
"Let me kill him," I finally said, and everyone in the room stared intently at me. "He's my brother, and I will not allow anyone to touch him, but if his life means saving you all, let me do it myself, then I wish for you to let the Volturi kill me. Do not defend me, and let us die together on the battlefield if it is the only option."  
"Absolutely not," Esme said firmly.  
"I will not let any one of you touch my brother," I said bluntly.  
"And what can you do?" Jasper challenged, taking a step forward. Alice held tightly onto his arm.  
"Jasper, stop it," Carlisle instructed. "I believe everyone is thinking too hastily. We will bring David onto the battlefield. I'm sure the Volturi will want to talk before the battle begins, particularly if David is present. I know Aro, and when he found Alec, he did all he could to capture his sister as well. I'm sure the same is happening now, and Aro is sure to try and preserve David's life. On the battlefield, you will have one chance, and one chance only to persuade Bradley to change his stance," he directed his last few words to me. "And if he refuses-"  
"I will be the first to kill him," I said. I respected the kindness of this man, and it made my attachment to these vampires stronger. There was no way I would fight against them, even if it meant truly fighting against my brother, though I knew it deep inside me that it would not get to that.   
"It's too risky to bring a human onto the battlefield!" Jasper snarled.  
"It's a chance we will have to take," Carlisle said firmly.   
"We can convert him," Alice glanced over at Bella.  
"I don't believe that is a wise decision," Carlisle frowned.  
"We have less than one month, we cannot train a newborn!" Jasper agreed.  
"He won't be a newborn," again, Bella defended me as she had before.  
"You were a single exception."  
"And he will be another."  
"How are you so sure?"  
"His intent is the same as mine."  
"And that makes all the difference?"  
"And I am turning him myself," now everyone stared at Bella in disbelief, and even I could not take my eyes off of her. I knew from folklore that changing someone into a vampire involved biting them, but I wasn't keen on the details.  
"We are taking too many idiotic risks!" Jasper shouted angrily.  
"You want him dead," Bella challenged him. "There is the highest chance of your wish coming true if I am the one to change him." Was this some sick, twisted way of comforting him because I wanted to take the lowest chance of my death, if there even were one.  
"I'm not a monster, I do not wish his life to be thrown away haphazardly," Jasper said quietly.   
"I apologize, but I cannot agree with this," Esme chimed in. "Regardless of what David wants, I believe converting him is out of the question."  
"If it's the only way I could protect Bradley, I want to be converted," I argued, though I knew not what I was arguing for.  
"The decision should not be made so simply," Esme responded. "It is not a simple thing."  
"If you have a choice, you should always opt against it," Rosalie urged.  
"I want to be the same as my brother," I replied.   
"David, please think clearly about this and please understand what we are trying to explain," Carlisle said kindly. "And please understand why it is so difficult for us to allow you to become one of us. This is not something we take lightly."  
"But what other way is there for me to help Brad?" I asked, concerned.  
"If he sees you, he will do all he can to protect you," Edward reassured me. "If you two are as close as you say, I am sure of this."  
"And if his life is in danger, how do I protect him?" I retaliated.  
"Please trust that we will do all we can to protect him," Esme smiled genuinely. I looked over at Bella who held an unemotional expression. She was not convinced, and neither was I.


	12. Episode III - Conversion

"This will hurt a little," I heard her voice echoing in my head. Secretly, Bella and I had agreed that my being human would hurt the Cullens and my brother more than being a newborn. She knew what it was like to be in my position, and she knew the torment of being the only human, watching the others being what she wanted to be. Even if my brother and I both survived, upon being reunited, I would want to be converted to be with him, and he would probably disagree. The only way we could truly be reunited was for me to be converted now.  
"You will be in pain for about three days, but don't worry, you'll get through it. Just think about something positive." she explained.   
“Will the others be angry?” I asked her. The Cullens took turns protecting me as they went out to feed and recruit others to join the battle, and currently I was alone with Bella. We very quickly decided that now was the only opportunity for my conversion. As soon as Edward returned, he would read my thoughts and become knowledgeable of our plan.   
“Just let me deal with them,” Bella smiled reassuringly.   
Three days? Three days were trivial if I would be able to protect my brother. That was what I thought until I felt her sharp teeth pierce my throat. This was not even the worst part. As my blood drained out of me, I felt my body weakening, and I was sure death was inevitable, until I felt the pain from my neck start spreading throughout my body, every beat of my heart pushing out the agony farther into the outer edges of my limbs. The burning fire made me wish that I had died.   
But no! I had to survive for the sake of my brother. I couldn't stand the idea of him getting hurt, and if something were to happen, I had to be the one to do it. He would forgive me and he would understand if I were the one to fight him, but I could not let him hate the Cullens. Not after everything they were doing to try and help me. As these thoughts circled my head, the unbearable pain that was burning through my body started to dissipate. Had three days passed already?   
The pain suddenly intensified, but only in my throat. I tried to get up, and before I knew it, I was on my feet and fluttering across the room with mercurial speed. I could hear voices through the door, and though they were whispers, I could hear the voices clearly. The Cullens were talking about me, Bella being furiously scolded for going against their wishes. I looked in the mirror tacked on the wall, and gasped at the reflection. My skin was a flawless marble white like the rest of the Cullens, and I looked much more attractive than I had ever been. Was it a vampire trait to become gorgeous? It would be understandable considering the necessity to lure humans for their blood.  
“You did a good job,” Alice spoke softly and I could sense that Bella smiled in response. Jasper and Edward were brooding in the corner, clearly upset of their decision. Carlisle and Esme were also unhappy, but at this point they were more concerned about how I was doing. How could I see every action, every motion so clearly in the room next door? Was it a vampire trait to be able to clearly view ones surroundings, hear everything, and feel every emotion and action that was ongoing? I gazed back into the mirror as I pondered the chaotic sea of emotions, thoughts, memories. They could not all belong to me.   
As I studied my features, I met the intense gaze of my ebony eyes, a tiny strip of red fluttering in them. They frightened me, and were nowhere near the honey-gold of the Cullens. Is this one of the features of what they called a newborn? As I studied myself, I noticed an alluring sound. I heard the quick beating of hearts, and while I knew not what I was feeling, the sudden urge to burst out of the room and feel the heart pump raw blood inside of my empty body seemed inevitable. I lost all control of my body, and my mind plunged into a fanatic frenzy.  
The sweet sound lured me out of the room and into the common area where the group of Cullens assumed defensive positions around a russet-furred wolf holding the beating heart. At this point, the thundering beat no longer interested me as sweet smells of heavenly bliss exuded from the floor below me. It seemed simple to me: rip through the wall of useless carcasses and enter the heavenly bliss of warmth trickling down my begging throat. The wolf's blood was muddy, but what he was hiding in his thick fur, the plump fruit snuggling to prevent exposure of her human side drove me insane. Fortunately for her, the smell of fresh, untainted blood from below was much more appealing. I would save the wolf and girl for later.  
"What's going on?" One of the vampires hissed at Carlisle "I thought the transformation took three days."  
"That is usually the case," Carlisle flipped through an ancient tome that I looked at quizzically.  
"I guess Bella was wrong," Emmett frowned, and braced himself in front of what was rightfully mine. Angered, I snarled viciously before plunging in for my attack. "Don't let him out of this room!" Emmett shouted.  
"Stop him!" Bella cried, running quickly to aid who she thought was my prime target.  
"Oh it's on," the biggest of the group muttered angrily as he pulled himself off the ground and lunged at me from behind. He thought it would be a surprise attack, but I could hear the thoughts of everyone in the room. I felt their minds, their thoughts, their every move. This hurricane of voices and memories almost ruptured my mind, but the thirst was all-consuming, allowing my body to seek its needs even without direction from my addled brain. Did I swing my arm back at the assailant, or did he willingly plunge out the window, a blonde jumping out to save him?  
"Edward what's going on?" Esme asked anxiously.  
"I don't know, I can't read his thoughts, there's too much noise," he rubbed his temples, struggling to get up off his knees.  
"Noise?" Carlisle asked confused. I felt a searing pain in my arm as the wolf bit down into my flesh, but it hardly bothered me as the pain in my throat surpassed all limits.  
"Stop him!" Alice screeched. "There are people in the floor below!"  
"Dave please!" Bella screamed at the top of her lungs as I pummeled the useless mutt. She grabbed my arm and I tossed her against the wall, trying desperately to break free and tear through the floor below me to reach the couple snuggling on their couch.  
"No!" Edward and Alice both flew towards me, but I easily slammed them away and got my hands on Nessie. I realized it was too difficult to break away from them all to reach the pristine blood below, and for now, the tainted blood of the half-human should suffice.   
"Bradley!" the little girl giggled, in no way sharing the fear of the others in the room. I looked at the peachy-skinned girl who glowed an exuberant radiance of blood.  
"Bradley?" I thought I spoke, but the mellifluous voice that escaped me could not be mine. Was it one of the voices that were hovering in my mind?  
"I missed you, Bradley!" the girl smiled brightly, placing her warm hand on my cheeks. Her fiery touch brought an image of herself holding tightly onto the leg of a familiar man through my eyes, and suddenly a blaze of thoughts, memories, images, screams, and emotions inundated my perception. The young girl chirped in glee as the male smiled brightly. He was always great with children. He hated adults, but the peaceful innocence of childhood was a jewel he deeply admired.  
"Oh god!" Edward shook his head frantically. "Bella, shield him!"  
"What?" the girl asked confused as she struggled to her feet. Edward composed himself and both he and Jasper pinned me against a wall, the wolf quickly procuring Nessie to safety.  
"Brad..." I mumbled, finally remembering who I was. The burning in my throat still drove me insane, but the exploding fury in my head helped ignore it slightly. In the hazy mist of my addled mind, I could see clearly the person who I should be saving. Nessie, with her special powers flooded the memories of my brother into my mind and brought me back to my senses.  
"His thoughts...there's so much going on in his head," Edward mumbled.  
"A new power," Carlisle mumbled, quickly flipping through his tome.  
"What...is this..." I barely whispered as I struggled to sift through the mess of my own mind. I expected to be burning in insatiable thirst as I had been warned of this, but I was not prepared for the suffering torment of screaming victims ringing in my ears. "You warned me of the pain of being a newborn...is this it?"  
"Unfortunately there is more going on in your case," Carlisle frowned.  
"We need to feed him now," Jasper said blatantly.  
"I understand, but please be careful. We still do not understand the full extent to his powers," Carlisle said.  
"Can we let you go?" Jasper glared, his face full of antipathy.  
"Just keep an eye on me," I replied worriedly.  
"Of course," he said before releasing me.  
"What the hell was that!?" Emmett barked when both he and Rosalie returned.  
"I'm trying to figure it out," Carlisle frowned. "Please take him out to feed while I research."  
"I'll tear this punk in half if-" Emmett began. Bella stopped him.   
"I'm sorry to be so much trouble," I mumbled guiltily, struggling to ignore the alluring scent of blood, tearing through the massive chaos. "I didn't think it would be so hard to deal with the conversion." My nostrils flared, and my body trembled as I once again imagined myself feeling the sweet, thick blood flooding through my mouth and down my begging throat. Jasper held tightly onto me, and I could see the aura of tranquility, joy, all positive emotions flooding around him.   
"It's not your fault," Bella reassured me with a smile. How could she be forgiving when seconds ago, I attempted to murder her child and best friend.   
"I...I can't!" I shouted out as I plunged out the window, incapable of being near the one thing I desired most.  
"Let's hurry," Edward said as he followed me out , Rosalie, Alice, and Emmett right behind him. Jasper stayed closest to me.  
"So you're planning on breaking your vegan oath?" Emmett grinned. "That was quite a show you put on before."  
"I'm sorry," I didn't know how many times I could apologize before the guilt would start to disappear. The worst part was that I knew I would do it again as I had no control over my body fiending for blood. Normally, I would be able to fight off unconscionable impulses using reason and logic, but now the strongest quality I had was addled. My brain did not function properly and was littered with external thoughts. Was I a mind-reader like Edward? I wondered if he faced the same struggle.  
"It's different for me," Edward tried to console me. "Don't feel bad about anything, I've never seen anyone go through more than what's happening to you. Nobody blames you for your slip-up, you're facing the difficulty of a newborn along with some questionable ability."  
"I don't want to hurt them," I explained in my majestic voice I was still not used to. I sped off into the mountains, wanting for a second to be far enough that I would not be able to attack them again. I also tried frantically to escape the thoughts that clamored in my mind. I no longer knew what was real and what was not, what made up my own memories and what was mere pollution from those surrounding me.   
"You don't have to be so dramatic," Emmett laughed his hearty laugh.  
"You don't understand, it's so difficult to be around the blood, but when I try to run, the memories haunt me. I can taste blood I've never tasted. I can see things I've never experienced." I jumped up on a steep hill, and rushed to the sweetest smells that filled my nostrils. It was much better than the vampire-tainted blood of Nessie or guilt-tainted blood of humans that moments ago I thought was the most luscious. I plunged into a cave and saw a giant bear growling at me.  
"Let's see what I was missing out on," I smiled and attacked the beast that clawed at me. The anger, the ire that flooded every muscle in my body could not have belonged to me. His attempts to fight me off were futile as I unleashed movements that I could never have learned myself. I sank my teeth into him effortlessly and drained him completely. My throat still throbbed intensely, the heavy blood of the bear not nearly as satisfying as the sweetness of humans. As I stared at the lifeless creature, I knelt down, horrified at what I had just done. It couldn't have been me who mercilessly tore this innocent creature apart.   
"Spirit of the bear, take no harm in my actions. This was only the circle of life. I'm sorry and I thank you for the sacrifice of your life to make me stronger," I prayed. Where had I learned these words? What shaman taught me the correct ways to sacrifice the remains of an animal that provides sustenance?   
"What the heck are you doing?" Emmett stood at the mouth of the cave, arms crossed, brow raised.  
"I respect the life of any creature," I muttered, picking up the empty carcass of the bear. It looked rather heavy, but it was no strain to my new body, brimming with energy.  
"What so you're gonna bury that useless thing?" Emmett chuckled.  
"Do not speak ill of the dead," I glowered at him, and suddenly, the wave of anger returned. The chuckling echoed in my thoughts as I recalled the numerous animals I have already killed. The number of times I fed with the other Cullens. How I would sometimes race with the sweet, blonde-haired beauty who was both unpredictable and a raging fireball. The shaman within me was not angry – no, he could feel no anger. Only sorrow and an incessant longing to free the spirit of the animals I had tormented.   
"Let me help," Emmett said. He took the bear from me, and jumped out of the cave. I could think of nothing else but following him as the pleasant memories of my time with the majestic blonde continued to circle through my mind. When he landed on the ground, he slammed his fist against the hard ice, splitting through to the cold soil below. He then dug frantically at the hardened dirt, very rapidly forming a hole big enough for the bear to fit in. I was surprised at his actions, and stared motionless as he performed a proper burial for the creature I killed. He worked, just as my ancestors had done during their rituals.   
"What the hell are you doing?" the girl of my happiest memories punched Emmett in the shoulder.  
"Huh? What?" he looked a bit dazed. "What just happened?"  
"It looked like you were burying something," Rosalie chuckled loudly. "Don't tell me you're getting soft on me!"  
"What! No way!" Emmett shouted. "What the hell just happened?"  
"You should keep your voices down," Edward said, joining us with Jasper.  
"That kid just forced me to perform a fucking burial!" Emmett shouted angrily at me.  
"Forced you?" I shook my head, and the inappropriate thoughts of Rosalie quickly escaped me, being replaced by misery, anguish, fear, and worry, all of which I could not differentiate between my own and from the Cullens.   
"Let's go talk to Carlisle," Edward said, looking at me intently.


	13. Episode IV - Manipulation

"Mind control?" Carlisle asked, amused. "I've never heard of such a thing, but I don't doubt that it could happen. It would surely explain the voices and memories of others mingled with your own."  
"Yeah man, there's no way I would bury a dead bear," Emmett grinned.  
"Next time have him put on a tutu and do a little dance," Rosalie chuckled. She was really enjoying the idea of Emmett doing things against his will.  
"If you do not mind, may I ask you to try this power on me?" Carlisle asked, curiously. He smiled very brightly at me, and I could not refuse. He was an amiable character. "Then perhaps on Jacob, and Nessie, and Bella too. Just for research purposes."  
"I can try...I'm not really sure how I do it," I mumbled.  
"You got all heated and told me to respect the wilderness or something," Emmett said nonchalantly.  
"Okay," I nodded. I looked at Carlisle, and wondered what I could have him do. He had the kindest heart and was the purest of anyone in the room. I hadn't the smallest idea of how to make my powers work, but I recalled having Emmett's thoughts and emotions when I tried. I tried to dig through the havoc of my mind to find his voice, his thoughts, and his memories. That's when my thirst once again overcame me. I tried to fight it but the burning was worse than when I first felt it. But now it was dark, was I alone in hiding? No, I couldn't be alone as I could still smell the sweetness of blood. I was losing control of my body, but I knew I could not attempt to murder an innocent again, so I let out a wild yelp to purge my suffocation.  
"Carlisle!" Esme held tightly onto the blonde who was screaming in agony.  
"Dave! Stop!" Edward shook me vigorously, and I stared blankly at him, confused.  
"What...what was that?" I shook my head. Carlisle was yelping at the top of his lungs.  
"Make him stop!" Esme cried.  
"I can't! I don't know how..." I shook my head furiously, trying to block out the need for blood, the pain, the darkness of the spot in which I was hiding. Where was I? Seconds later, I was staring at Edward who still continued to shake me, only to be lost again in the dark, secluded area that continued to blur my vision of reality. I could hear the footsteps of the people who were clamoring on the stone streets. I felt their hearts beating, their pulsing arteries that carried my sweet, luscious drink coursing throughout their bodies. There was no turning back, my body knew what it needed, and it would get it now.  
"Dave!" I heard a booming voice, ripping me out of the ebony nightmare. Jacob's warm hands held tightly onto my shoulders, and I stared motionless into his dark, brooding eyes.  
"I'm sorry, that must have been rough," Carlisle frowned. Were those horrific nightmares plaguing the innocent man daily? "Let's refrain from using your powers for a while. Edward will help you try to control them, and when you feel you are ready, you can start training in combat skills with Jasper."  
"We'll get through this," Edward grinned, though I could sense his fear and concern. They were all fearful of my inability to control my thirst, my powers, and most importantly my desire to help Brad. All my issues taken together, the Cullens saw me as the biggest threat in the upcoming battle with the Volturi.


	14. Episode V - Relinquishment

I was losing my mind. I could not see anything straight, wondering every second whether these thoughts were mine or someone else's. Sometimes, I would have to go far away, isolated from anyone except Bella, the one with the shield that I was sure my powers could not penetrate. Even then, I felt as though I was being compelled by the thoughts, emotions, and actions of every living creature around me. One second I'd find myself walking down the stairs, only to howl loudly in a way I didn't know I could. Another second I would be focusing on trying to ignore the incessant urge to feast and within minutes I'd be lost circling in the mind of one of the Cullens, not knowing how to escape.   
"Dave!" I didn't know if Bella's voice echoed through her thoughts that fluttered through me or whether it was truly my ears that had heard.   
"You crossed the line," the overgrown teenager snarled, his large, blazing hot hands wrapped around my neck.   
"Stop it, Jacob," Edward said, placing a firm grip on my assailer's arm. I couldn't determine whether I wanted to apologize or if I wanted to sink my teeth in the warmth that was bursting through Jacob's veins. His grotesque scent didn't bother me as I heard the chaotic melody of his beating heart. Was a werewolf's blood toxic to a vampire? I didn't think I cared as I slammed my knee into his gut, causing him to groan and weaken his grip just enough for me to pin him on the ground.   
"Emmett! Jasper!" Bella hollered as I quickly knocked Edward against a wall before he could pull me away. "Dave, stop!" the girl squealed as I dug my teeth into the struggling male's neck. Before his warm blood could kiss my begging throat, I was crushed against the wall by four sets of arms.   
"Nobody eats my puppy," Emmett snarled.   
"Are you CRAZY!?" Jacob hollered as he rubbed his neck flowing with the sweet honey that I craved. I didn't have the strength to break free from the four who struggled to hold me back. Could I use my powers to help?  
"Dave, please relax," Carlisle said calmly as he placed a straw into my mouth. "Drink this, it will help. Jacob, Esme will attend your wounds in the back room."  
I quickly guzzled down the contents of the plastic cup he held, and the cold liquid was hardly satisfying to the ache in my throat. The blurring in my mind was getting worse as the thirst nominally receded. I didn't want the frozen back-stock of blood that Carlisle kept for his patients; I wanted the warm, running currents of a living creature.   
"God this kid is strong," was that the voice or the thoughts of the burlesque Emmett? Rosalie, the fiery blonde that he dated, why was I thinking of her now? Was she one of the ones that was holding me back or was she smiling lasciviously into her lover's eyes.   
"He's got hold of Emmett!" Jasper shouted as he pressed me harder against the wall.   
"I wouldn't do that bro," Emmett grinned before slamming his fist into Jasper's face. Within seconds I had Jacob pinned on the ground again, my thoughts muddled between the beauty of Rosalie, the desire for fresh blood, and the guilt that came with harming an innocent youth. The room filled with the same chaos that muddled my mind as I once again sank my teeth into the flailing boy's neck.   
"Dave," I heard a soft voice breaking through the labyrinth. Did I care to look up at who spoke to me or was it another mysterious call from some other's thoughts? "Dave! Wait, please!" the childish voice called to me again. I looked up as I saw the little brunette running through the ocean currents, fighting the strong waves that continuously beat down on him.   
"David, please help!" he screamed.   
"He'll be fine, he needs to learn," an older, drunk male muttered.   
"Dave! I'm gonna dr-" my brother hollered as he was engulfed by a powerful wave. My heart stopped at the thought of the ocean swallowing him, but I wasn't strong enough to help. My legs froze in fear and the guffawing drunk refused to aid my dying brother. I had failed him so many times before, and I could not fail him again.   
"Brad!" I screamed out and again I was pinned against the wall, and could clearly see that Jasper, Rosalie, and Edward struggled to prevent me from reaching my necessity of blood, of the invigorating strength that would help me save my brother. Jacob now lay unconscious on the ground with Carlisle dabbing at his wounds.   
"Where's Brad!? Is he okay!?" I shouted out.   
"He's losing it," Edward muttered. "Carlisle, we can't hold him forever."  
"Dave, you need to relax," Carlisle spoke quickly. "You need to focus on controlling your powers. You need to isolate your own thoughts and memories from the voices and emotions of others. Can you hear me?" What was he saying to me? I shuffled trough the darkness to find him, find my brother. Was he lost in the ocean? Was it already too late?  
"Dave," Edward's voice echoed. He was with me, daringly leaving the protection of Bella's shield and entering the horrors of my mind. "Look at me. Focus on me." I saw his worried face peering into my blank eyes. What have I done?  
"Can you hear me?" he asked.   
"Yes..." I mumbled, though I could still not determine exactly what had occurred. Had I attacked Jacob, fought with Emmett, been with Rosalie, or watched my brother drown in an ocean?   
"Bradley will be fine, but you must first learn to control this if you wish to help," Edward explained.   
"I...I don't know," I mumbled. "Where am I? Who am I? Am I...with Rosalie?" I asked confused and Emmett guffawed loudly.   
"You like what you see here?" he asked, tapping his head.   
"Couldn't be much," Rosalie rolled her eyes.   
"David," Edward spoke again. "I need you to focus on something, anything you like. A memory, a person, a voice in this room. Think of only that and ignore anything else."  
"How...?" I mumbled, finding it difficult to ignore a single voice that fluttered through my mind, let alone the burning sensation in my throat that still begged for blood.   
"Focus on something important, something capable of consuming every aspect of your mind," Edward whispered. Could I really do this? I shuffled through the chaos of my mind, pushing aside thoughts of Rosalie, Emmett's hobby of cars and destruction, the still lingering scent of Jacob's blood. Somewhere in the haze, I remembered my brother's face. So different from mine despite our similarities. His features were tougher, more rugged in comparison to my softer skin. He lived a tougher life than I did. I was always the adult and respected as such, while he was a child, bullied and never taken seriously though he was so intelligent. Everyone around me believed in me, I had a great job. Everyone loved me and thought I was the better twin. But Brad, he faced constant torment with everyone thinking he was a demon. He hated people, so cynical and jaded from the experiences he faced, though I desperately tried to make him have more faith, believe that hope existed. He needed me to save him from the darkness of the Volturi and show him that good things like the Cullens existed. It saddened me to know that as always, he suffered a squalid torment of negativity as I basked in the kindness of my vampire brethren. He would quickly lose faith in the possibility of good in these creatures that we've become and would think that we were all monsters, unable to see the truth of the situation due to simple misfortune. Could I blame him? His entire life seemed to attract negativity until it consumed him and compelled him to run away to New Hampshire.   
Brad was someone who could easily master the torrent of my mystical power. With all that he faced and the maladies that permanently wounded his heart, this collection of guilt, hatred, and ire would have no effect on him. Unlike me, he would easily be able to sift through the endless void and find himself, like he had done time and time again. I wondered, what special abilities he acquired upon his transformation, and had he already mastered it? I knew he would have by now, and I knew he would be strong enough to destroy the Cullens himself. I couldn't allow that to happen.   
"I'm sorry..." I mumbled, ashamed for having attacked Jacob in desperation to feed. "I'm a monster..."  
"Stop it," Jacob said weakly, still a bit dazed from the series of attacks. "Good as new," he flashed his trademark smile. He would have been Brad's favorite of the bunch.   
"I need to go," I mumbled. I had to get away from everyone before I hurt them all. I had to stay as far from the Cullens as possible. A newborn was hard enough to deal with, but I had the monstrous ability to compel others to do my bidding, though at most times they were not even my desires. With my uncontrollable powers and insatiable thirst, I knew the safest place for me was to be as far into the woods as possible where no humans would reside and I could only hurt animals. This was not appealing to me, but it was the best I could do in my current situation.   
"And where is it you plan to go?" Edward eyed me, and I wondered if these were thoughts or spoken words.   
"I don't want to hurt anyone..." I muttered, covering my nose to try and douse the alluring scent of blood.   
"We're here to help," Carlisle said, hesitantly placing his hand on mine. Suddenly I heard chaotic screams shattering in my ears.   
"It's happening again!" I thought I heard Edward shout out. I saw him press his hands against his temples as though trying to drown out the noise that cluttered my mind. Of course, he heard it too.   
The image of the struggling male quickly changed into a crowd of men, women, and children. They all cried desperately as they tried to escape the inevitable fate of the marble-skinned ones who ripped through them quickly. One man stood silently, his face covered in his strong hands. A woman huddled closely, holding tightly onto him as though facing demons. I tried to focus through the fog, the chaos of darkness and deathly rancor. I pierced through the heavy cries of the deer outdoor and the cheery music that lifted Nessie's spirits. I had to see who this mysterious man was, motionless in the torrent of dying victims.   
"Dave, focus," I felt Edward prodding through my thoughts, trying to help me pick away at what I already determined a false image, a memory that did not belong to me. But this time, I didn't want to leave. I had to know who he was.   
"Dave! Snap out of it!" I felt shaking and the image was quickly being engulfed by itsy bitsy spiders and the pain of bear claws slashing at my hind legs.   
"Brad!" I shouted, and it was gone. The image of my brother in the Volturi throne, refusing to take part in whatever activity the malicious vampires were enjoying. He was different; I still had a chance to save him.   
"Dave...are you with us?" Carlisle asked again, staring intently into my eyes. His kind face showed confusion and anxiety.   
"He saw her vision," Edward shook his head and Alice frowned.   
"We saw him," Alice explained, and Carlisle nodded in understanding. “He refuses to feast.”  
"I need to save him..." I mumbled, recalling the demonic repast, the hundreds of innocent lives being sacrificed for the diabolical Volturi. And above all else, Brad was not a part of it.   
"We will do all we can," Carlisle reassured me with a strong grip on my shoulder. I tried to shake away the shadows and ghosts of memories that were still haunting me. I tried to cage my mind safely into a protective sphere where foreign thoughts and images could no longer penetrate. I was hugely unsuccessful, but it helped to know one thing for certain. I saw Brad, alive and well. With an ally. 

I still needed help. My powers were taking over me, and Edward wasn't enough. I needed to ask someone who would be able to tell me what was going to happen to me, someone else who dealt with the crazy things that fluttered unwanted through the mind. Someone else that couldn't control every aspect of her power.   
"I was wondering when you were going to ask me," the girl giggled. Of course she would know that I wanted to speak to her, she could see it as soon as I made the decision.   
"How...how do you control it?" I asked, knowing she didn't really have absolute control over her powers, random images always flashing before her eyes. What I really wanted to know was how she dealt with it, how she lived so normally when everything happening in the world sent image after image rushing through her head. Edward had random voices echoing in him all the time, but he could tune them out, he had the training to do so, but Alice, she couldn't tune out an image if it blinded her vision suddenly. How did she deal with it all?  
"Sometimes it's hard, but Jasper helps," she smiled. "You get used to it eventually, you just expect it. Sometimes, I cheat."  
"Cheat?" I wondered what she meant.   
"There are some things I can't see. Anything to do with werewolves, and Nessie." she explained to me, then sighed and rolled her eyes. She knew what I was thinking. "And yes, I can see your brother."  
"Can you see what he's decided? Will he fight?" I frowned. This was the one thing that bothered me more than my weird, uncontrollable powers. My brother was different, I knew that he was able to control his powers flawlessly, he always mastered things quickly. I also knew that he ignored the burning in his throat with ease, not having to think twice of whether the sweet taste of human blood would be worth the pain of killing. I tormented him daily about his meat consumption, he a crazy meat lover, but he would never deliberately hurt anything if he had the choice. He was always a moralist, putting everyone else ahead of himself. Yes, I knew he thirsted, but he would ignore it if it meant killing humans to feed. I always worried if he would die from lack of feeding and wondered if he had figured out that he could feed on animals. Would Alice know if something like that happened to him? I still didn't understand the extent of her powers as the future was ever-changing.  
"I can see that he is powerful, and that there is no threat to him in the Volturi coven," suddenly her face was grave and she talked reluctantly. Was she holding something back?   
"If there's something you know, I would like to be informed," I tried to be genuine, but I knew my words came out harshly. "Even if it's bad," I added as kindly as I could, embarrassed at my sudden outburst.   
"There's nothing I can say," she looked away from me as though ashamed. It angered me that she would not share what she knew, and I considered tapping into her mind, but I still feared my powers.   
"Why won't you tell me!?" I shouted too loudly, and she winced. Suddenly Jasper appeared, blocking my path to her.   
"He's fine, just upset," she explained to him, placing her small hand on his scarred arm.   
"I'm sorry," I said once again ashamed for my inability to control myself, and Jasper relaxed. I was sure he could feel my embarrassment. "I just need to know...I mean I know there is a chance he will choose to fight, but I need to prepare myself so if there's anything you could tell me..."  
"There's nothing," Alice sighed.   
"Nothing?" I didn't understand.   
"He's like the werewolves, but different," she made a confused face. "I can see his strength, his unique powers, the girl that's working with him, but I see nothing as far as his decisions, choices, future."  
"How can you see nothing?" Again, my voice was starting to get off edge, and Jasper reacted accordingly. I was frustrated that she could not see him, she could not tell me the one thing I needed to know, and I pondered over the possibility that she may be lying.   
"She's not lying," Jasper said coldly. Since when was he the mind reader?  
"I just don't get it. Are you saying there is something wrong with him?" I snapped.   
"Do you know how hard it is for me to not be able to see!?" Alice finally lost it. I had never seen her upset, but now she screamed at me. "I can see everything! Everyone relies on me for everything! I know when everything is going to happen. Do you know the torment I face when a black hole blurs my vision when normally I see it all!? Nobody can possibly understand!"  
"I can try..." I whispered before staring at her intently. Jasper snarled, but Alice held him tightly. She wanted me to try. Like Edward, she had a very powerful mind, I could see that clearly. I had not yet figured how to control my powers, but I knew that the thoughts and memories of everyone around me constantly invaded my mind, and seeing what another saw simply involved my succumbing to all the anonymous thoughts that I usually tried to fend off.   
Suddenly, millions of images flashed before my eyes. I could see Brad's face, so beautiful, majestic. I could see the girl he was with, a wrinkly faced vampire, the Volturi twins, one boy and one girl, I could see Edward, Bella, Carlisle, random strangers I didn't know. I saw too much, I saw gaping black holes scattered throughout and I couldn't handle it, I was losing it, my body was aching and my mind was about to burst. I saw the flurry of vampires swarming the innocent bodies of unarmed humans as they ripped through them like a cloud of locusts. The image of Brad holding his ally was now clear to me, as they both fought the need to feed. The same image I saw before, Alice's vision I had tapped into earlier.  
"Dave!" everything went blank and I felt hot hands on my shoulders. This incredulous heat could only come from one person. "Dave! Are you alright!?" Jacob shouted, shaking me lightly. I was trembling, and my mouth was hanging open. I couldn't think, I still couldn't see, and I could not move a single muscle. The voices, the visions, everything that cluttered my psyche and enervated the rest of me into nothingness.   
"Jasper called me in, what happened!?" the young werewolf towered over me, looking anything other than young. I had regained my sight slightly, and I could make out the haziness of his kind face. Rough, rugged features resembling a tough life, much like Brad. His musky, earthy scent mixed with oak reminded me of my brother who most definitely faced much more difficulties than I could imagine. I only faced the nightmares of my thoughts, things that could never really hurt me, while he was surrounded by a deadly coven that could kill him instantly if he made the slightest error. If he could survive this, I had to make every effort to survive my hardships. Feeling weak, I melted into the warmth of Jacob who comforted me only in the way Brad could.   
"I can't...how can you...I just," I couldn't form a sentence, remembering the absolute chaos, the muddling agony of the young girl's mind.   
"Like I said, it takes time," she smiled at me, no resentment in her cheery voice.   
"I'm sorry...I can't imagine dealing with that every day," I shook my head trying to clear the mess that still overwhelmed me.  
"I can't imagine dealing with what you have," she scrunched her face. "Edward tells me how horrible it is."  
"Oh it's nothing compared to...that," I said, reluctantly remembering what I had just experienced.   
"No," Alice sighed. "It's worse...you deal with it all. All the voices, the images, the feelings, everything. You see it all, you feel it all, and you face every torment that fills the entire body of another person. I couldn't imagine having to go through all that, and not having any control."  
"It's not that bad," I lied, trying to lift the mood. I tried to scramble to my own feet, but Jacob still held tightly onto me, concern in his muddled face. "Can you tell me what you do know about my brother?"  
"He's powerful," she smiled, and I couldn't determine whether that was good or bad news. Of course I knew he would be strong, and of course I thought of this as a good thing, but it may also pose a threat in the coming battle. If we fought, I would lose. Unless I could somehow control him, but I refused to let it get to that. I could never get him to do what I wanted, and I didn't think it would be different now, even if I mastered my fearful ability. Somehow, he would be invulnerable to my mind control.  
"How does his powers work?" I asked.   
"Carlisle thinks that twins usually come in pairs," Alice explained, once again confusion spilled over her usually omniscient face. "Like Jane and Alec. Jane causes immense pain and Alec creates a complete lack of feeling. Jane works with the mind and Alec works with your five senses. She works in the ethereal world while he works in the corporeal."  
"So you're saying that Brad works in the physical world?" It was hard to comprehend what that meant.   
"It's only a theory," she shrugged. "I can see that he manipulates a lot of things around him. The ground, the air, time, space, everything. Something similar to Benjamin, but much more potent. But he also affects my visions significantly, and we wonder if he can alter the future, like Siohban."  
"That sounds..." I couldn't think of a word to explain the absolute power that thrived in my brother. It seemed almost unreal that one vampire alone could control every aspect of the corporeal world, including the future, but I knew how unreal my brother was.   
Yes, I could remember how he selflessly destroyed himself for all those that did not deserve it. Everyone at his job knew to call him when they needed a shift covered, even if it meant him working 24 hours straight. They never respected him, they never thanked him. Everyone knew to go to him when they needed money, even if it meant they could never return it. And that one person he spent countless hours, gave his entire heart to and she crushed it. She never loved him, yet knowing this he treated her the way she wanted, like some royal queen. I never understood him, and living with his pain, his relentless giving and never getting back. When he was finally selfish for once, I couldn't refuse him. While I disagreed that running away from everything was a good idea, I couldn't deny him the one thing he actually did for himself. It would make sense if his powers allowed him to hold the world in his hands. After everything he gave, he deserved to have it all.  
"Dave," the petite girl looked at me sternly. "You know that if I could help, I would." I did know, and it wasn't necessary for her to tell me. But somehow, the fact that she voiced it made me feel slightly better.   
"You think you can stand now?" Jacob lifted an eyebrow. "Your smell is making me sick."  
"Like we enjoy stinking of dirty dogs?" Alice scowled. Jacob flashed his winning smile before scooping up the small girl in his arms and rubbing his hair on her cheek. "Jacob! Stop!" she squealed. "I'm going to puke!"  
I couldn't help but laugh. They really were such amazing people, and somehow I was confident that with their help, I could help my brother.


	15. Episode VI – Tenacity

"What do you want?" I knew she would be unfriendly, but the iciness in her voice chilled even my heartless body.  
"I...wanted to talk," if I were still human, I would be stuttering, trembling at the antipathy of a woman who could tear me apart.  
"If you want my word that I won't kill your brother, you won't get it," she scowled, unwilling to look at me as she spoke. She continued to gaze out of the window, her coarse black hair barely touching the deep olive skin on her neck.   
"I won't let you hurt him," the words came out much angrier than I had wanted, and I felt her wrath towards me, towards the Cullens, towards the wolves, and the entire world, seeping out of her and suffocating the room. It became infectious, amplified tremendously by my ability to pick up pieces of her memory, emotions, and thoughts.   
"You couldn't kill me if you tried," her words were real, no hesitation in the clenched fists as she fought from transforming and unleashing her fury on me.  
"I have no intention in trying," I replied as I tried to collect my thoughts, reclaiming my own personality and digging deep inside me for words that would warm her up to me. She was the only one who could help me now, the only one who could calm my mind and make me understand what I never could about my brother.  
"Then I ask again. What do you want?" she said with ire, finally turning to face me directly. Her blazing eyes pierced through me, the commanding wolf inside her ready to devour what she clearly saw as an enemy.   
"I want to know more about you," I asked calmly, focusing on trying to retain my own psyche. I could feel the fire burning inside her, the pain, the agonizing labyrinth of unquestionable regret. She was drowning in the maelstrom of lost hope and shattered dreams, inundated in blackness as all light was pilfered so easily from her with the lock of two pairs of eyes. As she desperately tried to claw out of the trap hole, she was clobbered with pity, resentment, and depression. As if losing everything wasn't enough, she was reluctantly pulled from the safety of her own misery and tossed deeper into an abyss of unholy treachery that couldn't possibly be better than death. She lived a parallel life to my brother, and I wanted to know, I needed to know if after everything that destroyed him, after giving up on humanity and being plundered from his eternal suffering into a deeper pit of hell, could he still come out smiling like he always had?  
"There's nothing to know," she dismissed me quickly. Her face was stern, not the sign of ever sporting a smile left in her meekness. Her body was flowing with the inestimable heat of a werewolf's blood, but her face held only the infinitesimal spark of a dying firefly. If it weren't for her frantic heart beating mercilessly in her chest, I would have mistaken her for dead. Is this the fate that Brad was facing now?   
I thought of her relationship with Sam, how Jacob had told me that through some werewolf trait called imprinting, her lifelong lover had fallen helplessly in love with another woman. She was spiteful, but remained strong, never letting the misery seep out of her and ruin the life of the man she could never stop loving. But life was cruel. It would not allow her to remain in solitude, in the silence and protection of her mind, brooding over what was unrightfully taken. No, she had become the first female wolf, her thoughts, her emotions, her fury, everything she had worked so hard to hide now flooded through to all the other wolves. They couldn't see past the dense cloud of negativity, to see underneath how hurt and vulnerable she really was. Rather, the wolves began to hate her, she became an outcast, thought of as envious, distasteful, and nothing more than miserable. She could see their thoughts, how they perceived her, and soon she became a hollow shell knowing anger as her only emotion.  
Whether she was identical to my brother, I could not say, but it was clear to me that they have faced similar evils. Brad was in love with Collette, the sad excuse for a human being who was clearly despised by all. She would have a new boyfriend every week, but he still cared for her, pampered her, provided her with everything she needed, including a job, which she never showed up to. Everyone at the restaurant hated her, and through her, they began to build distaste towards him as well. They all lost respect, thought of his as a coward and a toy of the vile girl. No one could see past his actions, nobody could see the raw wounds underneath his misery and anguish. The ebony hair cut short into a bob, how they fluttered in the wind over her chocolate brown eyes, the way our mother's did. No one could understand why he loved Collette, not even the brother who shared the same sad story of a mother pilfered.   
"Why are you here?" I couldn't think of any other question to ask. Why, after all her miserable experiences and hatred towards the vampires, was she here, fighting alongside them and defending them against the Volturi? After all that she endured, why was she risking her life to protect those she couldn't even consider friends? Everyone, the wolves and vampires alike, warned me to not speak to her, to leave her be. They explained the same story time and time again. Edward didn't trust her, even Jacob, her pack leader didn't trust her. So why was she here?  
"I'm used to not being wanted so you're no surprise to me," she leaped out of the window she had been standing next to. Before she could transform and leave me muddled in my thoughts, I ran in front of her and grabbed her by the shoulders.  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she growled between her teeth, obviously ready to attack.  
"I know you hate me, but I need to know one thing," I spoke quickly. "I know you hate vampires, I know you hate werewolves, and I know you hate this miserable excuse for a life that this disgusting world has to offer. How are you still fighting for good?"  
"Good?" she looked genuinely confused, and she eased up slightly.  
"Why haven't you killed the Cullens? Why keep fighting for "what's right" when "right" was never given to you? What drives you to keep sacrificing yourself and your own happiness for people who you think hates you? I don't get it. If you knew the wolves hated you, why did you stick around? If you hate the Cullens, why protect them? I need to know what it is that keeps you good."  
"Don't remind me of everything I did wrong. Don't you dare throw all my mistakes in my face like you know who I am!" she shouted and within seconds, sharp fangs stood inches before my face as I stumbled to the cold ground.   
"Go ahead, kill me," I muttered. "Kill me if you have the freaking guts!" I knew I was no longer myself as I soaked up all the frantic emotions channeling from her. "I know you won't. The world can destroy your life like it's a meaningless pile of shit, but you'll still do everything in your power to protect it. You're just like him." She snarled at me viciously before slamming her front claws into my chest. Before she could clamp her teeth on my neck, I grabbed her snout and jumped up from the ground, slamming her into the snow. She howled viciously as she tackled me, but I resisted her attack, rooting my feet into the ground. The angrier she got, the angrier I got as her emotions, memories, and thoughts were rapidly projected to me. I grabbed her tightly by the neck, and she flailed rabidly and snarled as I squeezed her. I knew that I could easily kill her.   
"Leah!" I heard Jacob call out, causing me to lose my grip. Before he could transform, Leah quickly ran into the woods. He could easily find her, read her thoughts and know exactly what happened, but he knew she needed her time. He secretly respected her for the selfless sacrifice of her entire life. How she tried ruthlessly to prevent hurting anyone and was hated deeply for thoughts and feelings she could not even control. The only thing she deserved was recognition and trust, but all she got was spite and disgust. Under Jacob's tough exterior and all the enmity and distrust he had for Leah lie a tantamount level of respect and gratitude. If only she could see it the way I could, she would change drastically, much like my psyche changed so rapidly based on whose thoughts dominated my mind at any given moment.   
"You okay? I told you to stay away from her, she's a fireball," Jacob flashed his winning smile as he helped me up from the snowy ground.  
"It's my fault," I shook my head, trying to piece together what had just occurred. "I don't know what came over me."  
"Probably tapped into her craziness," he grinned, dusting the snow off my back. His warm hands soothed me a little, but it was hard for me to relax. I wanted to believe that all the anger had come from external sources, but I knew that my own bottled emotions had surfaced. My anger towards what I thought were all of my brother's mistakes had erupted out of me and obliterated what little joy Leah had finally been able to build after so many years of pain. I didn't mean to scream at her or make her feel her life was a big failure, a series of idiotic mistakes. Why was I acting like this? Where did all this resentment come from? It couldn't possibly be my powers, but it couldn't possibly be my own thoughts. I would never want to hurt anyone.  
"You okay?" Jacob kept a supporting hand on my back, though I knew my icy skin must be irritating him by now.  
"I don't know..." I mumbled.


	16. Episode VII - Sudden

Jasper and I had trained together for about two or three weeks; it was hard to keep track of time as a sleepless vampire. Though I had all 24 hours a day now, the fact that waiting wasn't as restive or tedious as it had been as a human, I couldn't tell how fast time was actually moving. It also didn't help that I was suddenly capable of moving at such a fast pace, or that I could still not control my thoughts and emotions.  
"NO!" Jasper shouted again as he grabbed my neck. "You would've died there."  
"What am I doing wrong?" I frowned. Once Edward had gained some confidence that I could somewhat sort through my chaotic brain, he had asked me to try training with Jasper. The quietest of the vampires was their greatest fighter with decades of experience in combat. He feared that with my uncontrollable emotions and lack of mastery in melee, or my thirst for that matter, I would be an easy target for the Volturi. It would be a tough battle and we would be completely outnumbered, so there were no spare units to protect me.  
"You never let any fraction of your back face your enemy. That gives them an opportunity to attack," Jasper sighed. "You better hope your brother is as bad at this as you are." I knew that would not be the case, but I did not tell him this fact.  
"I'm sorry, maybe you and Alice can show me again," I half-joked, attempting to bring levity to the otherwise grave truth that my brother could kill me almost instantaneously if he wished.  
I knew that I could learn to fight, I could train to use my fearful ability to compel my opponents. Like Alice and Edward, I should have an advantage that would allow me to win an overwhelming battle, completely outnumbered. Unfortunately, my advantage was also my biggest flaw. Unlike Alice, I had absolutely no control over my gift. I saw the tiny girl fight, and it was incredible. I thought she would be the weakest, but she hardly moved when she faced Jasper, her eyes closed and swaying her body only slight seconds before the bigger blonde attacked her. When she got bored, she kissed him in the neck and said, "Oops," and just like that, she beat the best fighter in the Cullen family.  
Every day that passed, I felt more and more helpless as my training - both mental and physical - had gone nowhere. While I had good days where I could go without mistakenly tapping into someone else, I also had terrible days were Jacob's tainted blood tantalized my lips.  
"I think we should stop for now," Edward broke our sad excuse for a fight. He and Bella would always stay besides me when I trained, and the instant he saw my mind clouding with the thoughts or feelings of others, he would intervene. Jasper was able to keep his emotions at bay with his confusing ability, but his mind was a vast territory of unexplored horrors.  
"Thanks," I mumbled, unable to look into the eyes of my trainer for fear of his disappointment and enfeebling memories of death and burning flesh.  
"You're finally improving," he said kindly, though I knew my abilities were far below what he wanted. "You can finally defend yourself from Nessie...maybe."  
"Ouch," Bella chuckled.  
"I'm sorry I'm such a burden in every way," I frowned. I couldn't fight, my abilities were a downfall to every fighter on our side, and my depression and anxiety for my brother's safety left me defenseless. The Cullen's had a better chance of winning without me.  
"That's not true," as always, Edward rescued me from my debilitating self. "Without you, Brad is sure to be against us. You're our only hope to turn him to our side."  
"And if I fail?" I already knew the answer to the question, but I wanted to hear it. I saw that few of the Cullens, Esme, Alice, and Carlisle had no intention to harm or even attempt fighting my brother, but the others were different. Jasper had Brad as his primary target, fearful that if his abilities overpowered Siobhan, the Volturi were sure to win. Edward was blinded by his need to protect Bella and Nessie that he was willing to kill anyone necessary to do so. Rosalie and Emmett seemed less willing to harm him, but they didn't think there were any other options.  
"You can't fail," Jasper scowled, though he knew I would and had no intention to wait for me to do so.  
"You won't fail," Jacob grinned. "If you really think your brother is like Leah, he'll come around."  
"How did you-" I was startled.  
"Wolves share thoughts," he smiled. "I don't know what you did, but I think you're the first person she doesn't hate."  
"I...I didn't do anything," I mumbled. If anything, she should hate me most for the horrible way I treated her.  
"She won't fight him," he reassured me.  
"The alpha's order is not always guaranteed," Jasper chided.  
"She doesn't need an order, unlike some people," I spat out. I instantaneously regretted what I said. It wasn't like me to attack people this way, but lately, I've found myself less like the David I used to be and more like who I was afraid to become.  
"I will only do what I have to in order to protect this family," Jasper said roughly.  
"What you have in mind is unnecessary," I challenged, planting my legs firmly in the ground. If we fought now, I would surely lose. Edward placed a hand on my shoulder as if to remind me to come back to myself and out of the dense swarm of pervading senses.  
"My thoughts are not necessarily what I will do," he dismissed me.  
"Jasper!" Alice shouted out. Her interruption was exactly what I needed to clear my thoughts and try to restore my own mentality. "They've changed their decision! Come in, we're talking with everyone!"  
"Let's go," he nodded, and we all followed him and Alice back into the small apartment. We had to rent out a whole new room with the number of people who joined us. There were a large group of us now, many with powerful abilities like me and Edward. Some of the vampires had asked why we had not moved to Forks in Washington where the Cullens' home was, but there were many reasons such as putting the citizens there through more than what they deserved. Bella's father and friends lived there, along with Jacob's family. The other wolves were there as well, and while I didn't fully understand the relationship between the two packs, I knew there was some tension and it was decided that it would be best to leave them out. Though I knew we would benefit from the addition of an entire pack of wolves, the enmity was best avoided. Jasper also thought it would be better if they fought in a field unknown to the Volturi, which would give the Cullens a slight upper hand, and we needed all the help we could get.  
“They’ve decided to come sooner than expected,” Alice said concerned. “Jasper, will you go over the full battle plan with everyone?”  
"This time around, we're lucky to have some extra help," Jasper said pointing out some of the vampires. They were all new to me, and I couldn't get all of their names down, but I knew that a few were new even to the Cullens. At this point, I spent every spare minute with either Edward or Alice. This was the only way Jasper would trust me, and even then he would supervise us at times. The sheer number of things I had to deal with increased dramatically as more vampires poured into the tiny home. At the roughest times, Edward would take me out hunting, or ask some of the other vampires who had similar abilities to help. One vampire, Zafrina, who I've quickly grown accustomed to would often attempt to help me, but even her mysterious ability to cloud one's thoughts in serenity could not break through the squall.  
"This is Fred," the one called Tanya introduced a young, blonde vampire. "He is very talented." She was one of the members of a coven who also feasted purely on animal blood. Their golden eyes were reminiscent of the Cullens, and like us, they were tied with a strong bond.  
"Please, it is nothing," the athletic vampire shook his head.  
"Fred?" Edward frowned as he studied the new addition to the team. He was familiar. He was trapped in a tiny home with over twenty other vampires, each one fiending for blood and brimming with ire. They all hated each other, but were forced into creating allies, only for the sole purpose of their survival. But he knew they were just toys, their lives were soon to be sacrificed for someone's selfish deed, but he didn't care. He only wanted to be freed from the misery of what he had become. Luckily, his ability could protect him, but alone he was capable of nothing. However, a young girl would always be besides him, as though they made a tacit agreement that they would be allies. She was weaker than the others, and would surely be killed given the chance. He protected her, shielded her with a noisome cloud that he quickly learned to control.  
"You're Bree Tanner's friend," Edward gasped at the vision that was racing before my eyes. Bree Tanner? The young girl hiding behind Fred with her many books. Her loathing and spite towards the Volturi was obvious. She knew their motive, she knew that they wanted nothing more than to eradicate the Cullens, and in her final moments she shared that with Edward.  
"I was hoping that would not come up," he frowned. "I apologize for what pain she may have caused you, but I am willing to forgive her death if you forgive our attack."  
"We wanted to help her!" Bella shouted out instantly. I had no idea who Bree was and I hadn't the slightest idea of what they spoke, but I saw the horror of the Volturi. Four hooded figures, crimson eyes burning through the blackness. The smallest of the group stared at the tiny girl curled up on the ground before the Cullens. Pure anger and wretched agony filled those demonic eyes as she demanded the girl be destroyed for her sins.  
"Dave," Edward whispered to me, again placing his supportive hand on my shoulder.  
"I'm okay," I lied, shaking through the hazy memories that clearly did not belong to me.  
"Unfortunately Jane would not allow someone who knew so much about the Volturi survive," Edward added.  
"I see," Fred nodded. "So it was fate that I come here to fight the Volturi to avenge her death. I hope my powers will be of use to you all." Suddenly, the room filled with a noxious feeling. I could no longer see Fred in the room, and the worst feeling was exuding from the spot where he once stood. The cloud was an amplification of the way he shielded the girl with the books. The pain of leaving her behind and knowing she was dead was apparent inside of him. We all had a reason to fight the Volturi. We were all robbed by their maniacal schemes, and it made me believe that we may actually win.  
"That is his talent," Tanya smiled.  
"What? What can he do?" Bella asked.  
"Of course she protects," Tanya laughed. "This is great news for our battle!"  
"Interesting..." Jasper grinned. "His powers will surely be put to good use. I actually wanted to discuss the new ability the Cullen family has come across."  
"I am very interested in your newborn's powers," the one called Zafrina, said. Along with Alice and Edward, she had immense difficulty in mastering her powers, and she proved to be a valuable asset in helping me control myself. "The Cullens seem to stumble across many talented vampires."  
"Yes, quite the luck," Carlisle nodded.  
"Luck is hardly the word," Jasper scowled.  
"Jasper, please," Edward frowned.  
"It's ok, I get it," I muttered. I couldn't imagine the torment Leah went through knowing everyone felt about her the way Jasper felt about me. There was no hatred, but a vile distaste in my decision to become a vampire and my inability to fight. He knew I would be more of a threat than a help, and he did not want me involved, but his family went completely against his wishes. I knew how he felt, I knew what it felt like when all you wanted to do was protect the important people in your life, but they wouldn't listen. He dealt with this his entire life. It was easy to deal with when the newborns would not listen, but when his loving family betrayed his wishes, it was harder to accept. No, to me, it was unconscionable.  
"Dave!" Edward's hand pressed tightly into a shoulder I could no longer accept as my own. "I-Dave!" he shouted out as his knees buckled and he collapsed on the ground.  
"Edward!" Bella screamed out in fear and I felt him slip away. The hand was gone, the smiling face in the shadows vanished into the carnal mist of my convoluted imagination.  
"Bella no, he needs me!" the unfamiliar voice echoed through the violent screams of all the dying people, of all the vampires suffering a second death. Tearing flesh, the smoky ash of burning bodies, spilling blood quickly lapped up by those lucky enough to avoid the flames.  
"Is he doing all this?" Senna, a member of Zafrina's coven gasped as Jasper snarled wildly, held firmly down by the Romanian vampires. Alice stared in horror.  
"Unbelievable," Benjamin, another gifted vampire with the ability to control the elements smiled. "I see that our chances of winning are more than good with these new additions to the team."  
"Let's not get cocky," Jasper would say to them. The woman in the flowing dress would smile at him.  
"My dear, they stand no chance to your military genius," she said.  
"Dave, please focus!" the strange voice kept echoing randomly into the vision. I wasn't myself right now, these memories were not my own, but I wanted to continue, I wanted to see what events would unfold.  
"I need you to get rid of him," she said. Who was she talking to and who must be removed?  
"Jacob! We need you!" the same prodding voice echoed.  
"I'm sorry," Jasper's heartache filled the entire room as he reluctantly ended the life of another member of his coven. No, he wasn't murdering this one; he had already murdered him when his teeth sank into him, ruining what would've been a great life. What he was doing now was the monstrosity of once again stealing what could have been with the tiny bit of life he was able to regain as an immortal. Every conversion was nothing less than murder. Every vampire he subsequently killed, he was barbarously murdering for a second time. I was a monster.  
"Dave!" I recognized this voice, the warmth, and the radiance of the sun's heat penetrating the hardened earth.  
"Brad?" I looked into the dark eyes of the smiling face before me. I couldn't remember what my own brother looked like, but the voice was so familiar.   
"I look nothing like you, I have beautifully colored skin and a beating heart," Jacob flashed his trademark smile. "I'm not a lifeless, marble statue."  
"You're slightly outnumbered to be talking like that," I grinned.  
"I underestimated you," Jasper looked at me, intrigued. "But don't think I'll let you do that again." I finally understood where his antagonism came from, but I couldn't quite grasp exactly what just happened.  
"You're getting stronger," Edward smiled, though I knew he was worried. My growing abilities would be a concern to anyone fighting alongside me until I could learn to control it. Mid-battle, I could compel every member of our army and lead to the consummate death of everything we strived for. This is everything he feared. Edward frowned. "I guess I can't hide anything from you anymore."  
"Annoying, isn't it?" Jacob scowled.  
"Mind control, what an ability," one of the larger vampires chuckled, as Jasper composed himself.  
"Let's not get cocky," Jasper repeated the words he told the ostentatiously dressed female years ago. Edward's grip on my shoulder tightened, and I nodded, assuring him I could keep my mind in check.  
"The Volturi also has acquired some new allies. One of them is Dave's twin brother, and he has strict instructions that nobody attack him. He will take care of the brother himself." He paused and looked at me. His plan had not yet changed, and we both knew it, but he continued to put up his facade.  
"Unfortunately, like Dave, his brother has some nasty powers, which we are assuming Bella cannot protect us from. But, Dave claims that Brad will fight on our side," again he looked at me with eyes of distrust. "We may not be able to count on this so-"  
"We can count on it," I heard a female voice.  
"Leah!" Jacob had the same expression of shock that all the Cullens shared.  
"And I'll have no problem breaking the rules if he doesn't," she added coldly. I sensed no desire in Leah to protect Brad, but I also found peace in the fact that her desire to destroy him had vanished completely. Jacob winked at me, making me shift awkwardly. He knew something that I could extract from him or from Leah herself, but I was in no position to manipulate my powers. I was still at the point where they had control over me, but my curiosity of the mental conversation between the wolves burned within me.   
"We stand at currently 31 vampires and the 5 werewolves of Jacob's pack," Jasper continued, ignoring Leah's affirmations. "From what Alice can tell, the Volturi have us outnumbered at over 40 fighters. The good news is that many of their powers will not work with Bella on our side. Unfortunately, the Volturi know this already, so Bella will be a prime target. We will have Zafrina and Fred with their powers protecting Bella at all costs, and anyone who can afford to help her, please do so as well. Siobhan will remain with Bella and use her powers to try and skew the battle to our favor. Stefan, Vladimir, and Emmett will focus on Jane and Alec, as without their powers they will be easy targets for those with brute strength." The two Romanians who it seemed everyone avoided grinned for the first time I've seen since their arrival.  
“I will be happy to finally be able to end their lives,” Valdimir smiled.   
"Demetri, Felix, and Caius are the strongest of their fighters, so Rosalie, Alice, Edward, and I will deal with them. Vladimir and Stefan will join us once the twins are down. Another problem is Chelsea who can break bonds between us, so I will have the wolf pack focus on her as their ties are unbreakable." Jacob nodded. "I will divide the rest of us in groups based on our compatibility to deal with the miscellaneous vampires. Marcus will most likely be no threat, as he has no desire to fight. Do not focus your efforts on killing him; he can be spared. Aro will be a prime target once we deal with the others as he will avoid fighting until absolutely necessary.   
"The other problem comes with the twin's ally. Alice sees that she has not yet made the decision to fight, but she follows his every step. If he fights, she will fight as well. We are sure she has the powers to induce effects of comatose, but we do not know if Bella can defend against her powers. I believe Kate, Tanya, Carmen, and Garrett together should be able to ambush her before she can use her powers. She wouldn't know about Kate's powers, so everyone shield her so she can get a zap in, then destroy her. Keep focus, and be careful. Expect for plans to change according to the battle, keep yourselves safe, and do not lose hope."  
The battle plan seemed flawless, and each vampire here was extremely skilled. While I feared that we may inevitably lose some fighters, I knew we had a huge chance to win this fight. I just wished that I didn't have to lose Brad, and that he would join the right side of the fight, skewing the battle even more in our favor. If he refused to join us, Jasper would kill him immediately after Felix, Demetrix, and Caius were down. If I were stronger, I could convince him to join us, manipulate his partner to fight alongside us. If I were stronger, I could protect Brad the way I promised I would.  
"No more pain," I smiled as we entered a new world filled with hopes and dreams. The tiny studio apartment that we would work endless hours to pay for. This was our dream. The stained carpets that would be our bed, the greasy stoves infested with vile creatures would be our ember waves of joy, and the crumbling walls our sanctuary, protecting us from the woes of the world. We had finally escaped, and nothing could harm us now.  
"It's only us," my brother smiled for the first time in years, the deep scars on his face unbearable to look at, but in no way did they take away from the natural beauty of his olive skin.  
"Pothos," I grinned, pointing at the only bit of color in the lifeless graveyard we called home. The tiny plant grew in a cup of murky water.   
"They were her favorite," though I could hear sorrow in his voice, the smile did not vanish."They're quite miraculous plants. They can survive for years with very little care."  
"Like you?" I chuckled at the similarities. The resilience in the simple green and yellow leaves, the waxy surface so hard to puncture. And even when you tore them apart, uprooted them, one tiny piece will find ground or water or anything it could hold onto in order to continue its life as if it were never disturbed. The miracle plant, the miracle brother, it was all I needed to view what anyone would call a pile of trash as a castle full of finesse.  
"Like us," he corrected, the flashy grin I rarely saw, but so full of character and life. The resemblance of that crooked smile is what made me so comfortable with Jacob.  
"As long as this pothos lives, I promise I won't let anything happen to you."  
"Then I guess you'll have your work cut out for you," he chuckled.  
"You still here?" Jacob asked, concerned.  
"Yeah...just thinking," I grinned.  
"Don't worry, we'll do our best," Edward smiled, clearly moved by the memory that had just crossed my mind. I wanted to believe that our best would be enough, but our chances of saving Brad, even if he wanted to be saved, would be slim.  
Everyone seemed to understand their responsibilities, and some were even pumped about the battle. There were only days left. The vampires were taking turns feeding to pump up their powers to the maximum, and we all embraced for a tough battle. Each of us knew that we may not make it, but we tried to mask such fears. The one thing I refused to accept as a possibility was the death of my brother.


	17. Episode VIII - Defeat

"Dave, stop!" Edward shouted sternly, his golden eyes gazing into my blackened orbs. The blazing skin of my prey felt hot against my frigid palm, and I could feel the thundering pulse against my throat. Anger, happiness, fear, and sorrow danced cacophonously in a torrent of enervating rage.  
"Dave, you need to focus!" I could hear his voice, but he didn't dare step foot into the enigma of inexorable demise. Bella stood close by him, protecting him from what he feared. I knew who these people were, I recognized their voices, and I recognized the face of the young wolf who was dying in my hands. I was not losing my senses, I could not blame this on some external force compelling me to do the unthinkable. It was my own rage fuming inside me and the desire for real blood.  
"Dave, please!" his voice rang, but not once did he leave the protective sphere of Bella. How I thought of him as a brother, let him invade my heart and almost replace Brad was incorrigible. My brother would not be hiding; he would mindlessly enter the deathly hollows in which I was eternally trapped and remain suffering with me until I could find a way out. No, Edward was not my brother and replacing Brad was just another mechanism Jasper tried to use to manipulate me. I would not fall for it.   
"You don't care!" I shouted out, tightening my hold on one of the few people that probably did. His hot blood kept me glued to him as I struggled through my rage and thirst. "If he were dead, it wouldn't change a thing," I muttered as I sank my teeth into the neck I had already bruised time and time again. Emmett and Jasper tried to pry me away from the lifeless body, but they wouldn't be able to stop me. I succumbed to my powers completely, and total chaos compelled anyone who would try to stop it.  
"No Dave, you have to trust us!" Edward screamed, grabbing my arms as Jasper and Emmett started a duel that would ultimately lead to one or both of their deaths. Edward shouted out in pain as Bella’s shield collapsed and he slipped into the darkness of my powers.   
"I can feel it all, I can feel distrust in each and every one of you," this voice was not mine, the thoughts were not mine, but the image of Jasper's plan was all that drove my actions. I saw the master plan; I saw what Jasper had asked of the others. The Cullens knew that they could not attack me directly, but if they could feign defeat, manipulate the situation to make it seem as though I were in trouble, Brad would try to save me and the Volturi would immediately thwart him. Jane, Alec, Demetrix, and Felix will all attack him directly and having been given strict orders from Jasper, Bella's shield would not be helping the one person who needed it most. Upon his death Siobhan's powers would skew the battle into their favor, and they would easily be able to rip through the Volturi, Brad's powers and his safety no longer a debilitating concern.  
"Dave, you're going to kill him!" Bella howled as I felt the musky blood fill my mouth. I never imagined I would ever enjoy such a thing, but the demon inside of me had awakened. Angry that nobody here could be trusted, nobody valued the life of the person I cared for most. No one could understand the pain I was going through, how I turned into a monster to try and protect the one I needed in my life, only to become weaker, incapable of defending him and putting many more at risk with my inability to control my thoughts, my emotions, and myself.  
"I understand," the voice was magical.  
"What?" I called out to the voice I hadn't heard since the day that destroyed Brad.  
"I understand you are frustrated and feel that no one is on your side, but I am," she smiled. Her bright face, the browned skin and hardened features from raising a family on her own. "You have to be the strong one. Trust, forgive, and everything you could ever want will fall into place."  
"But Brad..."  
"Bradley can take care of himself. And when he needs you, you will be there. But you have to take care of yourself or you won't be around when he reaches out a hand."   
"I...I'm sorry..."  
"There's nothing to apologize for," Esme said as she pulled me into a tight embrace. I stared horrified as Carlisle desperately worked on Jacob's motionless body. All the vampires in the room had their eyes on me, but not a single one was angry. I sensed no hatred, only love, compassion, and understanding. I was embarrassed, embarrassed that I had allowed my unnecessary anger and resentment control me. The desire to protect my brother combined with the acceptance that I had already failed led me to a destructive path where I almost crushed the only hope of his survival. I destroyed a family, a loving family who with all their heart wanted to help.  
"I'm sorry..." was all I could say, and I finally understood the pain Leah endured upon becoming a wolf. Surely the Cullens felt the same about me the way the wolves felt about her.  
"None of us feel that way," Edward stood, his body shaking and his face a dreaded mess of fatigue. Bella now held onto him tightly, clearly projecting her shield onto him. "We don't blame you for any of this. Your powers are something none of us could imagine coping with. But we are your family and you have to trust us."  
"I'm sorry..." I couldn't think of any words to say and I knew my meager apologies could not reverse what damage was done.  
"I need him in the operating room," Carlisle spoke quickly and quietly, protecting my ears from the truth of what I had done. Jacob could possibly die from my hands. I was a murderer.  
"It wasn't your fault," Esme assured me. "And he's strong, he'll pull through."  
I wanted to believe her, but I could hear his screams, feel his aching muscles begging for oxygen, but lacking the blood to supply it. Could a wolf really get a transfusion? Were there any drugs that could possibly help him? Carlisle was a miracle worker, but never had he rescued a werewolf seconds away from the face of death. A death that only I would be responsible for no matter how much the Cullens and the others would try to convince me that it was out of my control.  
"I...I'm sorry!" I shouted before ripping myself away from Esme and running off into the snowy trails of New Hampshire. I could hear their pity, their concern, the fear of losing one of the strongest fighters we had. Even if he pulled through, he wouldn't have the strength to fight in a battle that was days away. Without the alpha male, who would lead the pack of wolves into battle? Now Jasper had to reformulate an entire strategy, which unfortunately involved assigning vampires to fend me off if I became violent again. He didn't have enough fighters to sacrifice any to babysit me, but I could not be trusted. Bella was falling apart at the prospect of losing Jacob, the one who completed her and filled in everywhere Edward was lacking. The perfect man who protected her daughter with every bit of his life. I ruined the family, I diminished the infinitesimal chance of actually beating the Volturi and saving my brother. It was hopeless.  
"Is your brother as weak as you?" the voice pierced me in the way it did the first time we spoke.  
"I need to be alone," I muttered.  
"You don't deserve to be alone," she spat at me angrily. "You deserve to bask in the hatred of all the others, suffer in the pity as you watch Jacob die before you."  
"I need to stay away from everyone before I kill someone else."  
"You think running away is going to solve anything? You swore to protect him, so you better figure out a way how. What a sad excuse for a brother you are."  
"Don't you dare-" I started.  
"Shut up!" her voice roared like the piercing howl of an arctic wolf. "Not only are you pathetic enough to give up on your actual brother, but you run as the closest thing you have left suffers from wounds you inflicted. If you had any humanity left in that monstrous body of yours, you would be beside him every second he has left praying for him to survive the way he stood, coaxing you out of your own misery even as you were slowly killing him. Jacob is a real hero. You're a pathetic waste who doesn't even deserve this affected life you're living now." She transformed and ran off, leaving me soaking in anguish.  
Was she right? I thought back to the many times I let my friends down. How many times I let Brad down. And in the final moment I had to make things right, I let my anger overcome me. Rather than fully support his decision to move and start his life over, I unconscionably reprimanded him, telling him that running away would solve nothing. Now I hypocritically run away from everything, unable to face my own demons. I was a coward.


	18. Episode IX - Desperate

"Please Carlisle, if there's anything I can do-"  
"Dave, I understand your concern, but modern medicine can only do so much for a wolf," the blonde sighed.  
"I can't let him die, I can't just sit here while he slowly wastes away," I cried desperately.  
"He doesn't blame you," Carlisle reassured me, though this was unnecessary. I could feel no resentment from Jacob as he lie, dying from my wounds.  
"He should," I shook my head.  
"Dave, you need to feed," Carlisle instructed. "You can't stay in this room forever. Someone will always be watching him."  
"I have to stay here until I know he's ok."  
"The Volturi will be here any day and without your complete strength-"  
"Without Jacob we stand no chance," I muttered.  
"Jasper is working out loose ends and Leah has assumed temporary position of alpha."  
"We need him. I need him," I said sternly, holding tightly onto the hand that got me through the toughest of times.  
"Carlisle," Esme walked into the room. "May I speak to David for a second?"  
"Sure," the blonde smiled. "Please take care of yourself," he said to me before walking out of the room.  
"I hope you are doing well,” she said as she hugged me tightly.  
"Thank you," I whispered.  
"I wish I knew how to make things better," she spoke lightly as she brushed Jacob's hot cheek. He now had four scars on his neck, one for every time I attacked him. He also had the exact indentations of my hands where I had crushed his windpipe to near death.  
"I just wish it could go back," I mumbled, and Esme nodded. No words, just her complete compassion and understanding undulating from her spirit into mine.  
"How do you do it?" I asked. Like I had done to Leah, I was disrupting her peace, tearing through her happiness just for the satisfaction of knowing. I wanted to know how one could stay positive, how one could remain the way they did despite everything that happened.  
"That's very easy," she smiled. "How can I not be happy with a loving family?"  
"I guess it was a silly question," I shook my head, placing Jacob's large hand against my chest. His radiant warmth was comforting to me and I got accustomed to the smell of "wet dog" as Alice described. I held his hand firmly in mine, scared that it may grow as cold as my own, but the heat never faltered, and his heartbeat was as steady as a jackhammer.  
"Why don't you tell me more about Bradley?" she asked.  
"My brother?"  
"It's only fair, I answered a question about myself. "  
"I guess you're right," I chuckled. How I released my ire on these remarkable people just days ago still shocked me. "He's amazing."  
"Why don't you tell me something about him that I don't already know?" The serenity of her voice and her winsome words helped me relax.  
"He's a fighter. Strong and stern, with the heart of a..."  
"Wolf?" Esme offered.  
"Yes, the heart of a wolf," I repeated, staring at the tattered face, deeply rich skin; tough, yet gentle features. He was what Brad would be if he were a wolf. "He's so comforting, so loving and giving. I couldn't imagine a world without him. But he never really got anything back in return."  
"He got you," Esme looked at me, her golden-brown eyes glowing with hope.  
"You really know how to bring on the tears."  
“Would you do me a favor?”   
“I don’t think I could deny you anything after what you’ve done for me,” I answered, wanting nothing more than happiness for the seraphic Esme.  
“Please go and feed,” she said, and I frowned. While I could not deny that I longed for blood, I was reluctant to leave Jacob alone. “I will stay here with Jacob in your place until you return. I will not move a single muscle, no matter what the circumstances.”  
“Five minutes,” I said and she nodded. As I walked towards the door, I looked over again at Jacob’s still body, and as she promised, Esme had not moved a single centimeter. I quickly rushed out into the dense trees.  
On normal occasions, I would seek the deadliest animals of the wilderness, unwilling to hurt fleeting deer or others whose only motive was to run and live in silence and peace. But today, I guiltily tore through several deer, wanting only to return to Jacob’s side as quickly as possible. My mind was abnormally clear in the darkness of the woods as I was far from all the other vampires, and few animals surrounded me at the time. The thoughts and feelings of animals were much easier for me to deal with. They lived simple lives, untormented. Only pure thoughts and sanity filled their lives unlike the deathly howls of humans or vampires. However, as I turned to return back to the Cullen’s home, my mind was blasted with the chaotic melody of another’s raging thoughts. I neither felt nor heard a heartbeat, and the sweet smell could only mean another vampire was near. This was a new collection of thoughts and memories, one I was not yet accustomed to seeing or hearing. She was not hostile; I felt a strange mixture of fear, joy, confusion, and great interest coming from this creature.  
“Who are you?” I shouted out into the woods. She wondered how I could possibly know she was out there. Was I a tracker? As her memories flooded into me, I saw the faces of the Volturi and rage built up quickly inside of me. Was she one of them?   
“I-” I heard her high-pitched voice crack as she jumped down from a tree a few hundred yards away. The petite girl was petrified as she stared at me, my face very familiar to her. She sensed an ufamiliarity as she neared me, but she was shocked at the degree of how much she recognized me. Again, I saw the members of the Volturi flashing through her thoughts.  
“How do you know the Volturi?” I asked, fearful that if I dug deeper into her thoughts, I would lose control of my powers. It would be easier if we spoke.  
“What? How do you know about them!?” she asked fearfully.  
“Tell me who you are,” I muttered, trying very hard to keep away from her memories.  
“My name is Sarah, I escaped from the Volturi throne,” she explained. Escaped? I couldn’t understand how anyone could survive escaping from the Volturi. And even if she did, wouldn’t one of their trackers find and destroy her? At this moment, I heard the growl of a wolf, and the silver-furred Leah was by my side almost instantly, Seth not too far behind.  
“It’s ok,” I said quickly before they had a chance to attack. “Give her a chance to speak.”  
“I do not wish to fight,” Sarah now spoke quickly, overcome by fear as she stared at what would be monstrous wolves in her eyes. “You are Bradley’s brother.”  
“How do you know him!?” I shouted too loudly, and this time it was Leah who held me back. Neither she nor Seth sensed any danger from the tiny girl, and they ensured that I would keep my mind stable.  
“I did not mean to startle you,” she frowned. “As you may understand, escaping the Volturi is no easy thing. With trackers like Demetri, I was sure that I would meet my death very soon. I know it is Bradley who protects me, much like he has done since I was first forced to join the Volturi.”  
“Forced to join?” I asked, confused.  
“The Volturi always have a human servant – someone who would gather folks for their repasts,” she cringed at her words, and I understood her pain. I recalled the bloodshed from Alice’s vision as hundreds of visitors were rabidly torn apart by the Volturi, Brad and his partner huddling in a corner to drown out the screams and the smell of blood. Was she the tiny girl who brought these humans into the throne to be consumed?  
“I’m sorry,” I muttered, unable to understand the torment of causing the death of so many.  
“As you may imagine, being the only human in the Volturi throne is both dangerous and frightening,” she continued. “But Bradley…he was special. And he had a special ability, the ability to protect people. He always shielded me in a way I could never understand, and constantly reminded me that he would give me a chance to run. I kept this thought in mind, hopeful that I would be able to thank him properly. But I was always too fearful to approach him, though I only sensed kindness and no danger from him.   
“Once I was attacked by the monstrous Felix and turned by Bradley, I thought he would forget about me. But upon my awakening, it was him who I saw first. Unable to control my thirst or anger, I lashed out on him, but still he protected me. Shielding me with his mysterious gift, he reminded me of who I was and made me feel whole. Knowing full well that my chance to escape was coming soon, I had to thank him, but again I could not. I could find no words to tell him how much I appreciated all he did for me. Feeling like a complete failure, I knew that only one goal remained for me. I would seek out his brother who he cared so deeply about, and ensure that he was not caught in the hands of the Volturi. This was his final wish, and since my escape, I have been searching for you.”  
“How did you know to come here?” I frowned, intrigued by her story, but still baffled.  
“I knew of his story. I knew that this was the place Jane and Alec had come to procure him. I didn’t think I would be so fortunate to see you the moment I came to this place.”  
“Is he…ok?” I asked, slightly fearful of what the response will be.  
“He is powerful,” Sarah smiled. “Even Aro fears what he is capable of as he can control almost anything from what we see thus far.”  
“Control? What do you mean?”  
“If I could explain it, I would. The world is malleable to him. The earth, the stones, the air, time, it all listens to his every desire and does as he wishes. Every aspect of the world respects him, and does all it can to please him.”  
“He controls…the world?” I was awed at the omnipotence of my brother.  
“From what I see,” she confirmed.   
“Will he fight us?”   
“I cannot answer that, but he does not agree with many aspects of the Volturi,” she explained. “I do not believe he wishes any harm on the Cullens. I cannot expect that he would cause any harm onto anyone after everything he had done for me. Unfortunately, his main goal was to find you and keep you safe. If he sees that you have become a vampire by the hands of the Cullen, he may not take this lightly.”  
"You mean he may fight simply because I was turned by the Cullens?"  
"Precisely..." she frowned.  
“Do you know any more about the coming battle?” I quickly changed the subject, not wanting to think of the possibility of watching my brother fight on the side of the Volturi.  
“I know very little, but I do know that Aro is very confident. They have many powerful fighters, and with Bradley’s immense strength, I doubt any will be able to defend themselves.”  
“Will you come with me back to the Cullens to share everything you know?”  
“I wish to do nothing less. Please allow me to stay until you are reunited with your brother. Perhaps I can aid in persuading him not to fight. I can see that you are very much alive and well regardless of whether you are human or vampire."  
“Thank you for finding me.” I was glad to finally have some questions answered. I now knew that Brad was powerful and faced no danger from the Volturi. I also knew that he was still good, working to protect as many people as he could. 

“I almost killed him,” I explained somberly to Sarah, who frowned. Immediately after explaining the situation to the Cullens, I was back in the operating room with Jacob. Jasper did not trust Sarah, but Edward, being able to read her every thoughts, found her story both sad and inspiring. He was able to see that Brad had done all he could to save and protect her, and that without him, she may have faced an early death. Edward trusted her, but Jasper, still believing that Brad was on the side of the Volturi, thought she was a spy. If Brad were as strong as Sarah described, he may be playing with her thoughts and memories to shroud Edward's ability into unmerited trust.   
"May I?" Sarah asked, gesturing a hand towards Jacob's still body. Carlisle nodded, and she placed her tiny hand on his. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath in, something that muddled me, as vampires did not need to breathe. As she exhaled, a bright orange light radiated out of her tiny palm, and slowly surrounded Jacob in an iridescent aura.  
"What's...going on?" I asked, completely in awe at the beauty of the exuberant glow. Sarah continued her silent breathing, with each exhale causing the light to spread out until Jacob's large body was entirely covered.  
"What is she doing!?" Leah shouted as she stormed into the room.  
"Leah please," Carlisle interjected, blocking her path to Jacob and Sarah. "She means well."  
"How can you be so trusting!?" She shouted out, though she was unwilling to push through Carlisle. She pursed her lips and glared at Sarah, who now scrunched her face as an ebony darkness began to pollute the brightness of her orange beam. As the questionable shadows crept out of Jacob and into Sarah's receiving palm, the girl began to tremble, and soon she made soft sounds of what sounded like prayers.  
"What is...that?" Leah asked as the soothing sounds calmed her and everyone else in the room. First slowly, then rapidly, the darkness shattered and only the exuberant glow of the orange light scattered throughout the room. Jacob coughed lightly as Sarah placed his hand back down, and she smiled.  
"Jacob!" I shouted out in glee, hugging him tightly and causing him to groan in pain.  
"Careful Dave," Carlisle warned as he quickly began scanning Jacob for vital signs.  
"Jacob I'm-" I started.   
"If you say you're sorry, I'm going to puke," he scowled. "How'd I taste?"  
"Maybe I should remind myself," I challenged. He chucked lightly before groaning in pain.  
"Easy there," Carlisle frowned.   
"Don't think I can't take you," Jacob warned me as Carlisle changed his bandages.   
"Jacob, I don't even know-" I tried to explain.  
"And I don't even care," Jacob smiled. "Can you be a little more gentle?" he winced as Carlisle cleaned the wounds on his neck.  
"I have to ensure the toxins are out," Carlisle replied apologetically.  
"Do they...will they harm him?" I asked, still full of guilt and regret.  
"That's something I prefer not to find out," Carlisle said swiftly, his hands moving with absolute precision.  
"Glad to see you back,” Seth smiled.  
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm back," Jacob grinned to Leah.  
"Don't even joke about that!" Seth shouted, tears rolling down his cheeks.  
"Oh grow up," Leah rolled her eyes, though it was plainly obvious that she fought back her own emotions. "How are you feeling?"  
"Princess Leah actually caring about another human being?" Jacob chided.  
"Not that you're human, but call me that again and you won't wake up next time," Leah countered. "Since Dave here doesn't know how to finish the job."  
"I know you want to be alpha, but ouch," Jacob grinned.  
"Don't be ridiculous! Leah was actually worried about you," Seth guffawed.  
"Shut it!" Leah slammed her fist on the small boy's head.  
"Awww!" Jacob howled. "Give alpha a big smooch!"  
"That's it," Leah roared. She slammed her tight fist down towards Jacob, but before she could reach his ribs, they were held firmly in my hands. She looked at me quizzically.  
"I couldn't live with myself if Jacob is ever hurt again," I explained, holding too tightly onto her small hand. I didn't know my own strength, and I may have been crushing her, but she allowed me to hold on, the normally robust flames now quelling at the arctic touch of my hands. Seth whistled, and Leah immediately pulled her hand away, doing a quick spin and backhanding the young boy.  
"I'll be outside waiting for you all to die," she muttered angrily before jumping out of the window mid-transformation.  
"She likes you," Seth chuckled, wiping the blood off his nose and readjusting a bone so it would heal properly. "I think she broke it."  
"You really don't learn do you?" Jacob sighed.  
"Likes me?" I asked confused, looking down at my palms still vibrating in her incalescence.  
"She was the one that got you out of that funk," Seth explained, and I tried to remember what happened that day. The domineering voice, the harshness of her words, the complete lack of pity.  
"Leah…” I barely whispered her name.  
“May I ask what it is that you did?" Carlisle asked amused as he continued to study Jacob's body. "While I know that werewolves recover rapidly, Jacob was very heavily injured, and somehow I think he got a little help this time around."  
“Good as new,” he added with a smile.  
"I wish I could explain, but I do not know very much myself," Sarah frowned. "It is something I noticed when I first escaped the Volturi throne. Bradley explained to me that I could feed on animals to prevent ever hurting a human soul again, but I could not control my thirst like he could. At first, it was difficult for me to focus on anything besides feeding, and I constantly woke from my frenzy as a penetrating guilt overwhelmed me as I stared down at countless lifeless bodies. Eventually, I wanted nothing more than to end my life to prevent killing anyone else, but I knew I could not throw this gift away that Bradley worked so hard to preserve. It was then that my powers awakened.  
"In a thirst-compelled rage, I once again attacked an innocent soul. This time, I was able to stop myself, but only after I had already attacked the young boy. He was perhaps my age, and I was horrified with what I had done as I watched him screaming in agony at the wounds I had inflicted on him. He writhed in pain, his blood seeping so quickly out of him, but I stared helplessly. I did not want blood anymore, I only wanted him to live. I thought I could bring him to a hospital, but what would they think after they saw me? This frightful creature carrying a dying boy? I would expose the existence of something inhuman, and the Volturi would know instantly. I knew not what I could do, and as I cried tearlessly in my hopelessness, a bright orange glow surrounded me, and soon surrounded the boy. I watched in awe as this warmth filled me, and as the wounds of the boy very quickly vanished. Fearful that he would awaken and be petrified if he saw the face of his assailer, I placed him safely on the ground and fled.  
"Since that day, I have tried to reproduce this effect on those inflicted with wounds. I thought that if I could save the same number of lives as those who I have killed, perhaps I could be forgiven for my sin. I visited hospitals, snuck into emergency rooms and ICUs of patients who everyone had given up on. I passed my light onto these innocent souls, and watched silently, perched up on a tree or simply through my ears, soaking up the joy of the cheers and shouts of families and friends who saw miracle recoveries. And then I knew it was true. I was given the gift of healing."  
"That's incredible," Carlisle smiled. "You have a very valuable gift."  
"It was one of the many gifts that Bradley has offered me," she smiled delightfully.   
"A gift from Brad?" I asked confused.  
"I do not understand, but often times I heard Aro speak of Bradley's ability," Sarah scrunched her face. "He said that Gianna was sure to be a useless vampire, but it was Bradley who granted her the gift of comatose. He is convinced that those who Bradley converts, he is able to pass on great powers to. I know it sounds incredulous, but he has converted both Gianna and me, and we were both blessed with abilities."  
"Incredible abilities," Carlisle added kindly and Sarah nodded. Slowly, I was beginning to understand why this young girl was able to escape the Volturi throne safely.   
"When I felt as though I have saved as many lives as I had ended, I decided to continue my journey in finding you," she turned to me. "I knew I had to find you. I could save thousands of lives, but it would all be meaningless if I could not save yours."  
"Thank you, Sarah," I smiled. "You've already done so much for us."  
"Please let me fight alongside you. I will face the Volturi with my life to ensure that you and Bradley are safe and reunited again."  
"Unfortunately, I believe that your presence on our side will stir up some negativity," Carlisle frowned. "Aro knows your face well, and if he sees that you are on our side, he will assume that Bradley has gone against his wishes. It may cause a dangerous situation."  
"She can hide," I countered. "Once the fight has begun, it would not matter if Aro sees Sarah. He is sure to not know her vampire scent, nor does he expect her presence if Brad really hid her from him and Demetri. She can hide until the battle has begun, then help me in convincing Brad to fight on our side."  
"We will discuss the possibility with Jasper," Carlisle nodded.  
"He will not agree!" I shouted out angrily, knowing full well that he distrusted both Sarah and me.   
"Give him a chance. I will explain."   
"If it will cause trouble, I will not be there," Sarah said firmly. "I do not know physical combat, and I may not be of much use."  
"You can stay with Nessie and me," Jacob flashed a grin. "My warm, thick fur will protect you."  
"Fur?" Sarah asked confused.  
"He's a werewolf," Carlisle explained.  
"Oh!" the young girl exclaimed. "Aro did mention werewolves in the Cullen army, but I didn't expect you to be so friendly, especially after facing the frightful wolves in the woods with David."  
"Yeah we're just peachy," Jacob rolled his eyes.   
“And…sorry about that, we were just trying to defend David. We thought you were a threat,” Seth chuckled nervously.   
"What do you say? You hang out on my back with Nessie. I'm thinking I can hide you both pretty well."  
"And you can mask her scent pretty well," Carlisle nodded in agreement. "I believe I can convince Jasper very easily about this setup."  
"Sarah?" I asked. And she nodded. Slowly, it seemed as though Brad's chance of survival was increasing. There were several more factors that I would have to resolve, including Jasper's distrust, but it seemed as though I was able to convince the others that his life was worth protecting. 

"Please, you need to help me," I begged, though I could find no reason why she would want to after what I did. But I had to try, as her help would maximize my chances in protecting Brad.   
"I want to forgive you, but I can't," she shook her head.  
"You're the only one who could help me."  
"And why would you think I would even want to?" she spat out. I knew she would be upset, I could feel her sorrow piercing through her impenetrable shield. Of course she would be, I almost killed her closest friend and put her lover through excruciating pain on a daily basis.  
"Because you're the only one who could understand," I explained.  
"How could I ever understand!? How!? How could I understand you betraying all our trust and almost killing one of the closest people to me!?" Bella shouted.  
"Because that's what's happening to me," I closed my eyes. "Bella, I am very sorry that I hurt Jacob. I regret this more than anything I've ever done in my life. All I've ever done was let the people important to me down and now all I want is to stop failing at protecting my brother. I need your help to do so.  
"I can hear their thoughts, I can see what Jasper wants to do and what he has asked from you. I can also see you disagreeing with him, claiming how inhumane it is to just let Brad die. Please. I have no one else I can go to. You have to understand, you have to understand what it feels like to have the people you love and trust so unconscionably accepting the death of someone so important."  
"I..." Bella sighed.  
"I know you think Brad will be a monster, but he's not. I'm the monster. All he's ever done was right while I failed at anything I could. I had an easy life but still reigned misery down to the people who matter. He had a hard life, but still managed to find a way to make everyone happy – I mean, look at Sarah! This is my last chance at redemption, in proving that I can be valuable to the people I care about. My life will be meaningless without Bradley, and without your powers we stand no chance of survival. Bella please...you've seen what it's like to almost lose the most important thing, and I'm about to lose mine."  
"I'm sorry," Bella shook her head. "I understand your pain, but I can't go against my entire family."  
"Bella please," I collapsed onto my knees, overcome by grief. "Without your powers, Alec and Jane will kill him almost instantly."  
"I can't choose your wishes over those of my family," Bella said firmly. "I'm sorry."  
"Mommy," Renesme mumbled as she skittered into the room. She placed a hand on Bella's. "There was only one person in this entire house who you could ask for help. Unfortunately, she liked you the least out of everyone here, yet despite that she risked everything, turned against her whole family to protect you. And if it weren't for her, I wouldn't be here right now," the girl explained, and Bella sighed, Renesme filling her mind with many beautiful memories that would not exist had Rosalie refused to protect her.  
"Nessie..." she scooped up the girl in her arms. "I don't know what to say," Bella shook her head in confusion.  
"Say yes," she smiled.  
"But-"  
"I say yes!" Renesme smiled at me.   
"Thanks Nessie," I replied.  
"Bradley loves me!"   
"He loves you very much," I agreed.  
"If you ever attack Jacob again-" Bella started.  
"You have my word that I won't," I frowned.  
"Then you have my word that Alec and Jane won't hurt Brad."  
"Thank you..." I couldn't find any other words to say to her.


	19. Episode X - Decision

"They're coming!" Alice gasped. We had already created a perfect formation, the Cullens in the front line, the wolves hiding in the safety of the trees, Bella and Siohban protected in the middle by Fred and Zafrina. Everyone was crouched in their stances, ready to spring into action when necessary. I was sure Bella had her mental shield up protecting everyone, and Fred had his powers in effect. I stood in the front, next to Carlisle and Edward to make my move against swaying my brother. I took a quick glance over at Sarah who hid in the dense trees with Renesme on Jacob's back.  
We stood silently until we could hear the footsteps of the Volturi on the snow. I thought I could smell more than forty vampires. Yes, there were definitely over 100 vampires in the Volturi formation that swiftly moved through the snowy mountains and trees, stopping approximately a hundred yards away from us. There had to be over 200 vampires that I could clearly see now.  
"They're not all going to fight. The Volturi like to have spectators," Edward reassured me. Suddenly, he glared back at the group of wolves, staring intently at the smallest one, the only female, Leah. Through the short time we spent with the wolves, I've quickly grown attached to them all, particularly Leah and Jacob. The other wolves continued to mock the strong bond Leah and I shared, and she was finally beginning to regain some happiness. She could finally leave behind the hurt past with Sam, and begin to open up and accept others into her life. This profound liking we had for one another was the main reason for my astonishment of what followed.   
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Edward snarled at the little grey wolf who stared intently into the Volturi crowd. “This is the worst possible timing to imprint,” he hissed the word that ruined Leah, damaged her beyond repair. Only this time, it was not she who felt the pain. The large, russet wolf, Jacob growled, and I could not tell if this was in protection of what Edward berated, or if it was a sound of disapproval.  
“Imprint? What are you talking about?” Bella asked quickly. I wanted to speak up, ask Edward if everything I feared had come true. The time we spent, the rough patches of wrath and ire that we both rescued each other from, were they all lost now?   
"She imprinted," he replied. The simple pronoun alone was enough to send my frigid heart burning ablaze in envy, jealousy, and incomprehensible anguish. She would know the pain I would be in; if we both survived, she would apologize profusely about that which she could not control. I wanted to console her, tell her it would be fine and that we had to focus on survival, on winning the battle, but the dense cloud of jealousy was one I hadn't the strength to break through.   
“Leah imprinted!?” Bella snarled, and I was still lost in the haze of mixed emotions that surmounted both in my own personal sphere of thoughts and amongst all the others.   
“Can someone please tell me what’s going on!?” Jasper hissed, fighting back the urge to shout, knowing that we had to ensure the Volturi could not hear a word we spoke. “Was it with one of them?" he added, obviously angry.   
“Does that mean the wolves won’t fight with us?” Bella asked, worried that we had lost five powerful fighters.  
“They won’t fight the one she’s imprinted with…” Edward snarled. “Though I guess it makes no difference since he wasn’t a target of attack to begin with.” Suddenly, I knew what had happened and I knew why the situation was so dire. The faith and love that had quickly erupted from within me for this strange woman, the inexplicable pain and torment she faced that I wanted to heal. I wouldn't have any of those opportunities with her, for I was never the one she was meant to be with. She didn't need me, she didn't need someone who would torture her, agonize over why she could not let go of all the pains she endured. In this world existed someone better, another warrior who could understand the battle wounds, the scars, and feel no pity or shame in the implacable wrath that bubbled beneath the surface. She had imprinted on my brother. Esme placed a hand on my shoulder, and I nodded, reassuring her that I was fine.   
"My dear friend, Carlisle!" the one I assumed as Aro spoke up, clearly a fake smile on his face. His sudden words made me shiver in fear. All the vampires on our side stopped their quick murmuring, focusing intently on Aro’s words. I was forced to brood over my despair and hide my sorrow, though I knew my efforts were futile. "My, what an army you have pulled together for this splendid occasion!"  
"My good, Aro," Carlisle bowed. "This occasion is nothing close to splendid."  
"Please, do not think harshly of our decision," Aro replied. "We make decisions for the improvement of our kind, and unfortunately, your son broke a very big rule."  
"He did no such thing, it was a mere accident that a human solved on his own, much like a riddle," Carlisle challenged. "And how interesting it is that you still try to reprimand us when this single witness now stands among your army."  
"That is besides the point," Aro smiled again. I looked over at their massive army, huge, powerful-looking vampires as well as the twins I knew were Alec and Jane. For tiny vampires, they definitely looked vicious. My eyes however, would not leave the most beautiful of the vampires that stood in their ranks, Brad. I stared at him, as I was sure he stared at me. His skin, marble white like the rest, yet he had color that they all lacked. The deep scars on his face had not vanished, but were accentuated, beautified, and added life to the otherwise flawless features. He was a true miracle, his earthy brown hair kept neat, and his eyes, golden-brown like pure honey. I almost leaped in joy; he did not consume human blood. Although Sarah had informed me of this already, it was more meaningful to see for myself.  
His partner, a woman, stood very close to him, her hand tightly intertwined with his. Her eyes were also glowing topazes, and she abstained from entering a battle stance. By her demeanor and reluctance to leave my brother's side, I believed that she would not fight, but she was staring intently towards where Fred was standing. Were his powers making her ill, or was she capable of seeing through the effect, looking at Bella who would be her first target? She was just as beautiful as my brother, such gifted vampires, and I knew why Aro had wanted to keep them just by their looks. I tried to think what would be the best thing to say. I knew I had to keep it short and simple, for if I did get time to speak to him, it would be severely limited.  
"I'm sorry to say that if you decide to punish us, we are ready to fight," Carlisle sighed heavily. I knew he didn't want to fight, and thus he would be an easy target for the Volturi. After I finished dealing with my brother, I decided I would protect Carlisle as best as I could.   
"Please do not make such rash decisions, Carlisle, you know I will never harm you if I had the choice," Aro said, sincerely.  
"You cannot expect me to stand back and watch as you murder my family," the blonde was still calm, though his words carried an aggressive message.  
"Murder? It is justice, my friend," Aro smiled. I was already getting irritated with this guy, so I looked back at my brother, who still gazed at me. I wondered if he was trying to tell me something through his eyes, so I stared at the topaz orbs. I could see pain, a real struggle. I wanted to believe that he refused to fight, but I was certain he was anguished at seeing me as a vampire amongst the Cullens. Would his wrath at them converting me be enough to sway him to fight with the Volturi as Sarah feared? He flashed the quickest grin at me, that I didn't know if I really saw it, or if he simply bared his teeth as a warning sign, but I didn't doubt my brother. He wouldn't give up on good.  
"Let us deliberate," Aro said to Caius and Marcus. The wrinkly man looked at Jane and Alec, who nodded quickly and stared into our group, though I knew their powers would be useless with Bella with us. "Bradley, my son," he smiled, before huddling in a perfect triangle with the other two, their black capes covering them perfectly.  
"As you wish, master," I heard my brother nod, and suddenly, I heard gasps coming from random positions in our group, until I heard everyone struggling to control their own bodies. My brother was more powerful than any of us could ever imagine, and it was going to be a huge problem. One by one, the members in our army would grunt, struggling to lift a leg or move an arm, losing complete control.  
"What's going on!?" Jasper hissed, failing to turn his head to face me.  
"Is this his power?" Zafrina gasped, as the others also began to murmur. We all knew that this would mark our end. I looked over to where Leah was hiding, wondering if he saw the wolves hiding in the density of the trees. Did his powers reach them or would they be able to protect us until we could move again? Then I realized; if I was frantically looking around at all the others, capable of moving my body in a way they all could not, either his powers did not affect me, or he refused to bind me.  
"He's on our side," I whispered in the lowest voice I could muster.  
"That's hardly believable! He'll kill us all!" Jasper snarled.  
"I can't hear his thoughts," Edward frowned.   
"He hasn't bound me," I tried to explain quickly, but the others were hesitant, knowing very well that if they could not move, the Volturi would easily pick them off one at a time.   
"It's possible his powers do not affect you," Jasper continued to challenge, revealing my own personal doubt that I may actually be wrong. Was he adamantly trying to compel me into this motionless state? Was I a fool for believing that even through this time he spent with the Volturi, he managed to maintain his purity, understand that the Cullens were not to blame? I wanted to scream, run up to him and beg him to join our side, protect the ones who deserve protecting. I wanted to peek into his mind, see everything that he planned, but I knew that attempting to use my powers may potentially lead to our demise. I pondered over my options, mulled over what few key decisions may be the deciding factor of whether we survived or not. There were no mulligan, no chance for recovery, and I had run out of time when the triangle broke apart. Aro smiled.  
"And so it shall be," he said, and the entire Volturi clan snarled.


	20. Chapter X - The Will to Fight

I could tell Aro was not a military figure, for his strategic planning was lacking. I understood his concern in placing Gianna and me in the backlines so we could focus on using our strength to prevent the Cullens from attacking, but using Jane's group to defend us was far from intelligent. While Felix and Demetri were both very powerful vampires, their loyalty in defending Gianna and myself would be lacking, and he should have known. It wasn't that I cared if we were the primary targets of attack; I just knew we wouldn't be. The witch twins would.  
I thought of all the stupid mistakes Aro made in his planning as we walked through the snowy mountains of New Hampshire. It had been a while since I traveled this area, and the last time I was here was quite a terrible experience. I remembered how hard it was before to travel in the rough terrain. Now I had no trouble as we walked, over 200 vampires in an unbroken formation. While more than half of our group were spectators and would not fight, there were at least a hundred fighters on our side, and I hoped that the Cullens would be powerful enough to survive. I couldn't imagine such an innocent group of vampires being destroyed for the Volturi's sake. Of course, if the Cullens lost, it would primarily be my fault for my role was clear: I was to freeze them all in their respective positions as the Volturi quickly murdered them. But I already knew that once Bella was gone, Alec's power would take over and that would be the instant Gianna and I could slip out. It saddened me to selfishly use the innocent Bella as a martyr, but I had to do what was necessary to protect my brother and Gianna's son.  
When we reached the clearing where Aro said the Cullens would be waiting, they were already assembled. At least 25 vampires and what looked like five overgrown wolves stood crouching, ready to fight. These wolves hid strategically in the dense groups of trees, but my keen eyes could clearly see where each one stood. They had quite the army banded together, all fierce looking vampires, except a select few, but I knew that they would stand no match over the towering Volturi. It saddened me as I scanned all the faces that would no longer be in existence in a matter of minutes.   
As I studied their faces, pausing briefly over the ones I knew, I stopped at one creature. One of the wolves stood out to me, different from the others. It was clear that this wolf was the only female out of the group, much smaller than the rest, though just as vicious. While the other wolves were growling and crouched, ready to pounce, she stared intently at me with her sparkling eyes. I wondered if she was planning how she could kill me, or if it was interest that sparkled those glowing orbs. Her fur looked soft, and suddenly I grew curious of how the silken grey would feel to my cold, hard hands. One of the wolves, the biggest of the group growled, as though he knew I was looking at her and protected his ally.   
"God..." Gianna hissed in a low voice that I knew only I could hear. I finally glanced away from the wolf and looked over to where she was looking, almost gagging at the empty spot surrounded by a huge band of vampires. I knew that they would not surround a spot for no reason, and I wondered if this was how Bella's powers worked. Did she prevent others from getting to her by shielding herself in a fetid aura that no vampire could look at for too long? I felt Gianna nudge me in the side, and I looked to where she pointed, and I froze. I could no longer fight the Cullens.  
I stared at the figure, the most beautiful creature with his flawless brown hair and marble skin. His eyes were a friendly gold like the rest of the Cullens, and he looked back at me with the same, horrified expression. While the Cullens looked ready for battle, he simply stood there, reluctant to fight, no, refusing to fight. Of all the Cullens, only two remained out of battle stances, and it was this one I studied and a blonde male, who I assumed was Carlisle.  
"It can't be..." I whispered.  
"I'm so sorry," Gianna sighed. I knew that if she were still human and not surrounded by hundreds of vampires that could easily rip her apart, she would be crying. And so would I.  
"It's not your fault," I snarled. It was the Cullens' fault. They defeated the whole purpose of my existence, everything I was fighting for. The entire reason why I followed the Volturi around like a pet dog all came crashing down as I looked directly at the damnation that should have been my brother.  
"Do not fear, brother," I knew Aro was speaking to me. "No vampire here will unnecessarily hurt David. Our intentions are to have him and Alice both join us. Oh I could feel from this distance the power flowing through his body. Imagine the potential when you two are reunited."  
Little did he know that this did not comfort me the slightest, but I had to keep up my façade. The challenge of our escape became slightly harder, with another member I would have to try and protect.  
"My dear friend, Carlisle!" Aro said, taking the slightest step forward to the Cullen army, Renata glued to him. "My, what an army you have pulled together for this splendid occasion!"  
"My good, Aro," Carlisle bowed. "This occasion is nothing close to splendid."  
"Please, do not think harshly of our decision," Aro replied. "We make decisions for the improvement of our kind, and unfortunately, your son broke a very big rule." That was the biggest load of crap I have ever heard. I knew just as well as anyone that the Volturi have been planning to destroy the Cullens for as long as I existed, and they were looking for any excuse to do so. Unfortunately, my nosiness gave them just the excuse they needed, though I didn’t understand how the Cullens had broken the rules when they told me nothing, and Aro had me turned and on his side instantaneously.   
"He did no such thing, it was a mere accident that a human solved on his own, much like a riddle," Carlisle challenged. "And how interesting it is that you still try to reprimand us when this single witness now stands among your army."  
"That is beside the point," Aro smiled again. I didn’t take my eyes off of my brother as the entire conversation went on. I could see through the pain in his eyes everything he wanted to tell me, and I just wanted to let him know everything would be okay, that I would not fight; I would not harm the Cullen army though I despised the fact that they had turned my own flesh and blood into a monster. When we were young, we both wished that we could be special. Be witches, wolves, vampires, demigods, anything out of the ordinary with magickal powers. We could've never guessed that this would happen.   
"I'm sorry to say that if you decide to punish us, we are ready to fight," Carlisle sighed heavily.   
"Please do not make such rash decisions, Carlisle, you know I will never harm you if I had the choice," Aro said, sincerely.  
"You cannot expect me to stand back and watch as you murder my family," the blonde was still calm.  
"Murder? It is justice, my friend," Aro smiled. My brother frowned, and I felt the distress trembling in his body. I needed to let him know, I needed to tell him that I wanted to protect them, but there was no safe way to do it with over 200 vampires surrounding me. I was sure that Aro had ordered a handful of them to study me and my actions, so I did the best I could to prevent exposure. I flashed the quickest grin that I could muster, lasting for less than a second. If he saw it, he would know my intentions instantly. Not only was he smart, but he was my twin and he knew me better than anything.  
"Let us deliberate," Aro said to Caius and Marcus. He first looked at Jane and Alec, and they nodded, though I knew Bella would be shielding against their powers. "Bradley, my son," he smiled, before huddling in a perfect triangle with the other two, their black capes covering them.  
"As you wish, master," I said, and reluctantly faced the Cullens. One by one, I froze their bodies in the position they stood. I heard them start to groan and snarl at each other as they realized that their bodies were freezing over. Some were easier to bind, and others took immense concentration and power, but I knew that I would be able to stop them all as Aro wished. But I refused to use my ability on David, and even Aro would not see this as out of the ordinary. I also left the wolves untouched, pretending that I did not see them hidden in the woods. As I scanned the woods, I could sense about five werewolves, and a quick heartbeat that I knew was Nessie. The most subtle, but certainly familiar aroma and physical existence then hit my senses. Someone was hiding amongst the wolves. Someone I knew. But who? Unfortunately, I had no time to try and weed out who this person was, and I returned my attention to the Cullens.  
It didn't take all my strength to freeze the entire Cullen army in their respective positions. But I realized they would die too quickly if they could not move, and Gianna and I would not be able to escape. I had to rethink my strategy. I could not see Bella anywhere, and this burned a whole in my plan of escape. I knew that Gianna was as worried as I was at the prospect of our success. The only chance we had was to try and fight on the side of the Cullens, though we would be killed instantly unless we could somehow separate from the large Volturi group and huddle safely in with the others.  
"And so it shall be,” Aro said, and every member in our coven snarled. I had run out of time and the battle would begin soon. I could no longer formulate a plan and work this out with Gianna. I had to just act. It had to succeed, or we would all die, my only friend, David, and I.  
"Aro, someone is protecting Bella with some immense power," I winced, trying to pretend the usage of my powers were straining me. I was a terrible liar, and my brother knew this. "I must try and break this spell if we are to be victorious, but this may loosen," I paused for a second to put emphasis on the word. "My hold on some of the Cullens," I spoke as quickly as I could to try and be deceptive, and I squeezed Giana's hands to ensure that she knew I was lying.   
"Demetrix and Caius will destroy Bella immediately, and Alec will assume numbing," Aro nodded to me. I only had one chance, and things had to work perfectly with a lot of luck for this to work. Success also depended heavily on whether my brother still trusted me. There was one way I could convince him to believe in me, but would it work? I focused on the hard ground under the thick blanket of snow. A little sprout struggled to peak out of the density of the frozen ground and sheets of ice. I summoned the smallest of leaves that I could, and the green tip of a tiny Pothos poked out from the otherwise colorless snow. No one could suspect that this was a plan. No one would even know to look for the nominal speck amongst the littered ground. I quickly flicked my eyes in a downward direction, hoping that my brother took it as a sign to look at the only hope that I had left. With that, I resumed my plan, closing my eyes to sense for Bella in the fetid aura. I knew I would have to destroy the shield, expose her for the others to see. It wasn't easy; whoever it was that put this noisome circle around her was strong, but not stronger than I was.  
Protect Bella, was the last thought that crossed my mind when the shield crumbled. I released my bind on every member of the Cullen army as Caius, Demetrix, and Felix all flew towards Bella.  
"Protect her!" Edward snarled and he lunged at Felix, biting into the other's neck. The ferocious vampire howled out before slamming his arm into the other, causing him to fly backwards into another vampire. Before he could lunge at the opportunity to attack Edward, he growled and fell to the ground, motionless. I knew that it was one of the vampires in the Cullen army that had somehow stunned him the way Gianna and I could.   
Alice, the tiny female vampire stood almost completely still as five vampires quickly attacked her. She only moved her body slightly to dodge each one's moves flawlessly before Jasper came and ripped one apart, setting the pieces to flames. Boulders and flames surrounded another vampire, the snow on the ground flying up and cascading down like a powerful blizzard. It seemed the Cullens had a chance, more than I gave them credit for. They may have been outnumbered, but they had an arsenal of special abilities.  
"No!" one of the gold-eyed ones shouted out angrily as her ally howled out in pain, his left arm burning on the ground. A flurry of vampires were lashing at him and it was apparent that soon every piece of him would burn to his end.   
"Kate, don't worry about me," the bigger male with long hair said in a serene voice, though he was being plummeted  
"Garett!" the one called Kate shouted out angrily and a violent storm of electric bolts shot out of her and stunned the vampires around her and her mate. She rabidly tore them all apart and set them to flames, her ally staring at her in disbelief. Three huge vampires were fighting their way through crowds of vampires, and their red eyes burned wildly. The way they maneuvered through their enemies, it was obvious how powerful and skilled they were in battle. It was also obvious that their targets were Alec and Jane, cowering helplessly behind a group, useless without their abilities.  
"Bradley! Why are they all free to move?" Aro asked worried, backing up slightly and Renata stayed close to him.  
"The strange shield is too hard to repress," I lied, and Gianna remained still, also reluctant to fight.  
"And my powers are useless with the girl alive," Gianna said quickly.  
"So fight," Aro ordered.  
"No! She stays with me," I snarled. "She fights when I do. Once I break the girl's shield, her powers will be of great use!"  
"This is not your battle to order," Aro replied menacingly. This was the first time I ever heard him without his cloying voice, and I knew he was stressed by the way the battle was turning out. Things were moving too quickly for even my vampire senses to keep up with, and with Aro keeping tabs on me, I knew my plan for escape was failing us.  
I then remembered why I was here and I looked at my brother who still stood silently at his spot. As I thought, he was reluctant to fight and had not yet moved. He stared intently at me, as though trying to say something, but I knew he refused to speak aloud because Aro would hear. He was trying to use our minds to communicate, like we used to when we were young, but I could never read his facial expressions. A vampire lunged at him, and I immediately bound him. Would Aro assume that Dave had powers similar to mine, or would he suspect that I had now unleashed my first string of friendly fires.   
"Fred!" Gianna shouted, and she finally moved from the safe spot behind me.  
"Get her!" Aro ordered and a group of vampires lunged at her. The spectators were all watching intently, and I could see some were ready to join to defend the useless Volturi, probably to prove their worth and win some respect.  
"No!" I shouted out and I used my powers to stop those that were after her. As the vampires froze, I knew that this could not be mistakenly attributed to my brother.  
"I knew that useless woman would turn against us from the start, but you!" Aro snarled viciously, confirming my fears. My plan had failed, there was no way we could escape safely now with Aro knowing we were against him. The new plan was just to keep Gianna alive. I couldn't believe that she had suddenly lost control and jumped to the face of death, but when her fearful scream echoed her son's name, I knew how she felt. Her son was amongst the Cullens like my brother was, and we could no longer sit back and watch.  
"Go," Aro snarled at a group of witnesses behind him, and a coterie of at least forty vampires fluttered out towards Gianna. Surely, they would be after me as soon as they were done with her. Even with our powers combined, we could not stop an army that huge. Aro was a smarter strategist than I thought, having hidden a large group of fighters within the witnesses to throw Gianna and I off guard in case we decided to turn.  
"Gianna!" I shouted out and I was able to stop a handful of the offenders. Some fell to the ground from Gianna's mysterious powers, but her powers were slow and there were more than we could handle. I felt Jane's powers consume my mind, and I knew that Alec's slower spell was soon to follow. Vampires jumped at me and Gianna from all angles, and we fought off as best as we could with our powers, but there were too many. I was glad that Jane was focused on me and left my partner alone, for I could fight off the mind-blowing pain, but I knew that she could not. However, neither of us could fend off Alec's powers, and I was too focused on preventing any vampires from tearing Gianna to pieces that I could not focus on dissipating his fog that would destroy us both.  
"David!" I shouted out, and I ran as quickly as I could towards the Cullens, knowing he was our last chance of survival.  
"Help them!" I heard Edward and David screaming. Another blonde vampire, who was making that same putrid aura I broke earlier was running towards Gianna, warding off any vampire that tried to stop him. I knew instantly that this was her son. He was beautiful, like her, but with majestic blonde hair unlike her dark black. The Cullen army was too busy fighting against the more massive Volturi, and I knew that help would not reach us fast enough. The grey wolf that was staring at me before suddenly stopped her attack against the vampire she was fighting, and started running after me. The large wolf with long, ruddy fur howled out, as though ordering her to fall back.   
"Mother!" the one I assumed was Fred shouted out, and he projected his shield outwards, causing some vampires to flinch, but they kept their attacks strong. Gianna dodged a blow that would have sent her plunging to the ground and compelled another into comatose. Fred's shield could not move far enough to reach us, and I wondered if Bella's protective aura would help us against Alec's mist that continued to creep closer.   
"Sarah, no!" I heard David's voice echo. Sarah? Was she amongst the Cullens? I wanted to seek her out, but I hadn't the opportunity to see. I only prayed that she would be safe and would not sacrifice herself to try and save us now.  
"Forget me! Help her!" I shouted out as I felt the exploding pain from Jane disappear. I saw Dave collapse onto his knees, though he did not allow his strong gaze to ever leave Jane. I didn't know what powers he possessed, but I knew that it would take immense concentration for him to overcome either Jane or Alec, and I didn't care about my survival. I didn't want him to become vulnerable to attack as he tried to focus his strength on Jane. I heard my partner scream out in agony as a vampire slammed her onto the ground and several of them followed suit, just about to tear her into pieces.  
"GIANNA!" I shouted out, and I knew there was only one way left to protect her. I released my hold on all the vampires that my powers froze and did all I could to make the blonde reach Gianna before the flurry of vampires destroyed her. His powers were strong enough for them to flee unharmed, and I knew my life may have been a lost cause, but I had to save someone.  
"I'm sorry, David, you know I love you," I said quietly, and lunged myself into the group of vampires attacking my ally and used the last bit of strength I had to hurl all their bodies in my direction. I heard a loud howl coming from the grey wolf. Was that a howl of despair, or one of relief? Then a burning pain filled my body.


	21. Episode XI - Fight

"Aro, someone is protecting Bella with some immense power," my brother said, loudly enough for us to hear. I knew he did this for our sake. "I must try and break this spell if we are to be victorious, but this may loosen," he paused for a second. "My hold on some of the Cullens," he spoke quickly, and I wondered if Aro believed his canard. He was an artless liar, and I could see through him easily. He was up to something, and I had to figure it out before it was too late.  
“I know he’s on our side,” I said quietly.   
“That’s doubtful,” Jasper scoffed. I just needed one sign, a simple gesture that would tell me that he wouldn’t fight. I wanted to believe in him, but Jasper’s doubt resonated deep inside me and made me believe that I may possibly be wrong. Desperately, I scanned his face as he stared intently at the spot where Bella stood. Could he see through Fred’s powers, and did he plan to quickly destroy her.  
"That's my mother," Fred gasped, looking at the woman who stood close to Bradley. I shared his pain as we both looked at the most important people to us, dangerously close to the numerous vampires that could rip them apart as soon as their intentions were revealed. "I must protect her when the time comes. Zafrina, please take care of Bella."  
"The girl is safe with me, I will protect her," Zafrina nodded.  
“We’re running out of time!” Jasper snarled, a majority of our team still incapable of moving.  
“He’s trying to break my shield!” Fred muttered as he struggled to maintain his composure. “They will be after Bella once it breaks!”  
“He’s clearly not on our side,” Jasper growled, adding onto the fear that I may have to fight Brad. At that instant, I saw him gaze clearly at the ground below me, before shifting his attention back at Fred’s circle of protection. Curiously, I looked down at my feet to see the infinitesimal ray of hope, crushing all doubt and filling me with brimming certainty and joy.  
“He’s on our side!” I said cheerfully, staring intently at the tiny green leaf, our sign of hope.   
“How can you be so certain!?” Jasper challenged, glowering at me. As I pondered over the enigmatic hints my brother provided me, it dawned on me that Jasper was able to turn his head to face me. If he was able to move, it meant my brother had begun to relinquish his bind on some of our fighters. I finally understood.  
“I know his plan!” I spoke quickly and excitedly. “This may loosen the hold on the Cullens…” I repeated his words. “He’s going to pretend that he is losing his power and will release you all from the bind! Aro wants him to break Fred’s shield so that Bella will be exposed!”  
"Protect her!" Edward suddenly snarled as three vampires flew towards him. He lunged at one of them. The powerful vampire howled out in pain before retaliating, slamming Edward to the ground. Zafrina looked intently at him, and he growled as she took away his vision with her strange power, Edward kneeing him in the stomach at the given opportunity.  
"Nessie don't!" Bella screamed as the little girl jumped away from the protection of Jacob's back and flew towards a vampire that would have otherwise hurt Zafrina badly. She placed a hand on the attacker's cheek, and the vampire screamed out in pain. I knew her powers dealt with sharing what was in her mind, and I wondered what agonizing images she conjured to make the vampire suffer fervently as he shook helplessly on the ground.  
"I must fight as well," the little girl trilled with a huge smile on her face as Jacob tore apart the vampire with his teeth. She jumped up on his back, and together, they ran out to battle.   
“Jacob, please be careful!” Carlisle shouted.   
"Sarah, don't do anything rash," I said quickly and she nodded. As Jacob ran into battle, I heard several more cries. To our surprise, a large horde of wolves ran out of the woods and into battle. There were at least ten additional wolves who now joined and fought on our side. Jacob howled in reverence. Our chances of success were increasing.   
I looked over at my brother, who was studying me intently. I wanted to do all I could to help him, but my powers were not strong enough to stop all the Volturi until he got to me safely. I knew that once he reached me, together we could defend each other, but the problem was passing the hundred yards of possible death that separated us. I sensed swift movement to my side and turned to see a vampire flying towards me. He froze just centimeters away, and I knew that Bradley bound him the way he had done to the Cullens earlier. I prayed that Aro would think that my powers were identical to my brother’s and not suspect treachery.   
"You need to watch your back," Rosalie smiled smugly as she hurled a vampire into the air.   
"Thanks sweetheart," Emmett chuckled, easily tearing the vampire into shreds mid-air, sending pellets of flaming body parts cascading from the sky.   
“David!” I heard Esme scream as she dug her elbow into another vampire who had taken the chance to attack me. Carlisle quickly came to her aid and burned the assailer.   
“Thank you,” I said quickly, unable to move as I shuffled through my mind for options.  
"Fred!" I heard a female's voice scream.  
"Get her!" Aro ordered and I knew that this was it, this was the moment where the two would betray the Volturi, and would have to fight hard to prevent their death.   
"No!" I heard Brad shout and I knew he was using his powers to prevent the fighters from destroying his ally.  
"I knew that useless woman would turn against us from the start, but you!" Aro snarled viciously. "Go," Aro said quickly to the witnesses that were not fighting, and a huge chunk of them flew towards the girl. There were at least forty vampires that were ready to tear her to bits, and I knew that both she and Brad could not defend themselves. I had no choice. I had to succumb to my powers. It was the only option. I opened my mind to the raging torrent of memories, emotions, pain, and thoughts of the hundreds of vampires now brawling in the snowy mountains.  
"Bella, protect Edward," I instructed as my mind was inundated by the calamity of the hundreds of vampires within the field.  
"Gianna!" my brother shouted. He froze some vampires mid-air, and some fell to the ground as though in sleep, and I knew that this was the power of comatose Jasper had mentioned. I then remembered the witch twins, and their vicious abilities that would lead to my brother’s demise. I knew Alec's powers took long to work, but Jane's was instant. The way Gianna moved, she could not be affected by the powers I feared to feel, so was Bradley fighting through her pain? It wasn't something I doubted he could do, but if he were in the agonizing torment that Edward explained she could provoke, I wanted it to stop. Bella was already straining in trying to keep her shield around all our fighters while keeping herself alive, and I knew I could not expect her to protect Brad.  
I leered at the young blonde who smiled, clearly looking straight at Brad. I focused on her face, tried to weed through the dense cloud of thoughts in order to isolate the memories that were hers. A burning pain quickly exploded throughout my body, far worse than the stinging toxin Bella had introduced into me. My body ached in agony, and I couldn't imagine how my brother moved, unfazed, with her amazing powers thriving inside him. The horrors that exploded into my mind caused my body to weaken, and I collapsed onto the cold ground.   
"David!" my brother shouted at me, but I could not give up. Panting deeply, I struggled to push myself up to my knees as I was inundated in the cacophonous squall. Esme and Carlisle desperately tried to protect me as I scanned the battleground, searching again for the young girl through my cloudy vision. I only needed one memory, one small dream she held onto in order to get a hold of her.   
"Help them!" I heard Edward shout, and I screamed out as the pain flooded my body again.   
"Mother!" I think I heard, and I saw Fred run out. I saw Sarah jump off from the safety of Jacob's back, and I pulled away from Jane just long enough to attempt to stop her.  
"Sarah, no!" I shouted out, hoping she would heed my words, but she quickly rushed off to the center of battle. Knowing my time was limited, I returned my attention back to Jane. My vision blurred in the fiery wrath as I recalled the horrific image of my father bashing me brutally as my brother ran to safety.   
“Alec!” I screamed as he grabbed me by the neck and slammed me into the wall.  
“Hold still you little shit!” he chuckled, quickly undoing his belt as I slowly lost all feeling. At least he was choking me enough for my brain to not fully register the unconscionable act he performed on an innocent girl. I could see as my brother ran, leaving me helpless against the wretched man who claimed to be our father. Not once did he turn as he abandoned me, crushed all the promises we kept to always protect each other.  
"Forget me! Help her!" my brother screamed at me, wiping away the monstrous memory. My brother knew I was using all my energy to help him, and he didn’t want me to be exposed. He was being a typical martyr, and I would not allow him. I looked at the small girl who fervently looked around herself, trying to determine who had conjured the repressed thoughts the incredulous pain had masked.   
“Dave,” Esme whispered worriedly, her hand pressed firmly in my shoulder. “Is this a good idea?”  
“Just give me one more try,” I replied, shaking from the fiery pain, and she nodded. Once again I looked at the small girl, my legs buckling almost instantaneously as the burning coursed through my lifeless body. I looked over at Alec, my rage for his failure to keep me safe, for abandoning me in my time of need completely took over me. He stared at me in horror, begging me for mercy, but no love, no forgiveness, no kindness remained in the carcass of anger and resentment. I smiled. For the first time, I had finally mastered my power, and I would unleash it on the wretched brother. He screamed violently as the undulating verve flooded out of Jane and into his deserving body.   
"GIANNA!" my brother shouted out, and I suddenly regained my vision, looking up to see the poor girl on the ground, a group of vampires on her and surely tearing her to pieces. Bradley ran to help her, and his plans hit me hard. I already knew what he wanted to do, his powers perfect for his main goal in life: to protect those he loved. There was only one person that could protect him now, and I knew that it would be impossible. I suddenly realized the foolishness of my decision in taking over Jane, when her stronger brother shook helplessly, the only hope Brad had to survive.  
"I'm sorry, David, you know I love you," he finally said in a whisper, sending an aching pain where my heart should be as he solidified my fears. He lunged himself at the horde of vampires, who all snarled viciously and jumped towards him as he used his powers to hurdle all their rage and power at himself. Leah howled out in pain as she ran towards him, disobeying Jacob’s barking orders. She tore through vampires that stood in her way, her overwhelming love giving her the strength of all the wolves combined. I knew that the wolves’ minds were connected as Jacob explained to me, and I was sure that they all felt the exploding new love that filled her as each wolf instantly joined her in tearing through the horde of vampires that stood between Leah and my brother. Against Carlisle’s request, Jacob ran directly into the fight with a desperate Nessie who shouted out Brad’s name.   
At this point, Sarah, being the closest to Brad, tossed herself into the frenzy horde. She alone could not face forty vampires, and I knew that she would perish quickly. I neither had the strength or the ability to save either her or my brother, and I felt weak. Sarah's orange glow shined brighter than ever, blinding some of the vampires. I knew she tried her best to heal my brother, to keep him alive as long as possible as the others ran over to help. But the orange glow was quickly replaced by burning flames, and I screamed out in agony as I saw another friend perish under the hands of the Volturi.  
“I’m sorry,” Esme quickly said to me before abandoning me to run out in an effort to save my brother.  
“Bella stop!” Edward’s voice boomed as the girl ravenously fought through a horde of vampires, her determination to protect Brad overcoming the fear of her only daughter risking her life to do the same. Even Jasper, originally desperate to end his life now fought adamantly to cross the horde of vampires and the few meters that separated us.   
"I promised!" Bella cried out, tossing a vampire so far into the air that I could no longer see him.   
"NO!" I heard Gianna scream out in agony as loud tearing sounds marked the death of my sole purpose of life. I could no longer see straight, whiteness clouding my vision as the distressful sounds of my brother's death filled my ears, until my sense of hearing was also lost. Thankfully, I did not smell the smoke of my brother's body put to flame, and I knew I fell motionless to the ground, no longer able to feel or see anything, but nothing.  
"Bradley..." I didn't know if that was my voice, and I didn't know where I was. Did I awaken in heaven or some questionable afterlife of vampires? Did this mean that I could finally see my brother again, reunited, though not in the most desirable location. No, this couldn't be heaven, it had to be hell for the foul stench of burning corpses filled my nostrils. Was that the smell of my sweet twin, burning away in misery for my failure to protect him? I couldn't bear to face that fact.  
"David, what's the matter with you!" I heard a loud snarl followed by an even louder ripping sound. I shook my head, and saw Edward tearing away at another vampire, snatching what looked like a handless limb off the ground.   
"Shit, you'd think that you'd try and help gather the remains of your own brother!" I knew this was Emmett's voice, and I saw him pounding on a red-eyed beast who snarled at him. Alice was flailing angrily around the field in a manic frenzy, freeing a head from a vampires hand. I looked at it blankly, still unable to move or speak, and I thought I was looking at a reflection.  
"BRAD!" I shouted out.  
"Now's not the time!" Carlisle was on the ground, piecing together my brother's body like a jigsaw puzzle. He was surrounded by my brother's partner, Fred, Esme, Zafrina, Bella, and the five werewolves who fought off the vampires who tried to harm Carlisle. Leah was the most ferocious of them all, slamming her hind limbs at one vampire, sending him flying towards Alice who easily tore it apart while viciously sinking her strong teeth into another. I could clearly see Gianna's strength now as she dropped vampires to the ground in a deep slumber with just the look of her eyes. I wondered how she did this as vampires never slept as far as I knew.  
“Dave, watch out!” Edward shouted and I felt a hard blow to my skull. Three vampires had snuck up behind me and I felt a pair of hands about to twist my neck, when a loud crash caused the attackers to fall quickly to the ground.  
“Isaac!” Gianna screeched. “I thought you-“  
“Enough,” a handsome vampire shouted as he finished off the three who had attacked me before disappearing into the shadows.   
"David, if you still have a hold on Alec, it would help us immensely," Edward said, fighting off a female who tried to run away with a finger. I looked over at disbelief at the two witches who now looked at me, their incarnadine eyes lifeless. I couldn't believe it, I had control of them both, and the Volturi coven's numbers had dwindled significantly, now each of the spectators joining in battle to fight. Kate led an army of some of our fighters beating through the mass crowd that tried to protect the hopeless Aro who cowered with Renata. Marcus simply sat on the ground, bored and clearly not intending to fight.  
"What are you waiting for!?" Edward screamed at me as a new horde of spectators joined the battle and rushed to our position. An ebony gas fluttered through the ground and surrounded us all, though clearly not affecting any of us as the Volturi fighters began dropping to the ground like lifeless ragdolls. Alec was extremely powerful, and I was glad that we had Bella to protect us.   
Suddenly I was filled with immense rage. Though the prospect of the possibility that my brother would survive placated me slightly, it wasn't enough to dispel the wrath that he had been torn apart to begin with. Everything that happened, all that my brother had gone through was to blame on a single individual, a single person who didn't even have the courage to fight himself. My irascible anger boiled through my aching body as I stared at the sole reason of the suffering of my twin, my other half, my life. The reason why the Cullens suffered too, was all Aro's fault. He looked at me with fearful eyes, clearly able to see the hatred exuding out of my body as he pulled Renata closer to him. Sadly for him, her shield would not protect him from what I planned.   
"Pain..." both Jane and I whispered at the same time and the coy smile that was characteristic of the tiny blond girl was now on my face. The horrified male screamed out in agony as the boiling flames burned through his weary body. Clearly, he was not accustomed to feeling any sort of pain as his body trembled fearfully, collapsing to the ground. The stolid look that usually covered Marcus' face vanished as he looked interestingly at his partner.   
"Aro!" a woman, equally ashen and hoary bent over to him, and I knew that she was the useless wife of Aro, Sulpicia. Renata then plunged her hand into her master's gut, and shred him to pieces. His horrified wife trying to stop her, but she, never having battled, was too weak and joined the shredded pieces that Renata set in flames. With Aro's burning body, the battle was over.


	22. Episode XII - Aftermath

Could it really be over? It was hardly believable, but with the mark of Aro's death, the Volturi, if not destroyed, would at least be significantly changed forever. While we all wished to celebrate our victory, it was a painful time as we mourned the loss of so many, some of whom I had the misfortune to see, and all others I was shocked to learn had been lost.  
The Cullens could never trust the two Romanians, whose only drive seemed to be to destroy the Volturi. We welcomed their vigor and strength, but never could feel a strong emotional connection. But as they fearlessly pummeled through the Volturi, I knew that they were to be respected. And when Stefan ultimately succumbed to the Volturi forces, I knew that each and every one of us were pained deeply as Vladimir exploded into a fervent fury of anger and sorrow. Having waited over 1500 years for the Volturi to be destroyed, he was unable to enjoy the moment as his sole partner for over a millennium was now gone. Many of the covens here were not only willing, but wanted him to join them, but he refused. Vladimir and Stefan both knew they would potentially lose each other. Their only goal was to dethrone the Volturi and they had succeeded. Stefan's death was not in vain.  
We would also have lost Vladimir had it not been for the brave and kind soul of Amu, a great friend of Carlisle. In the Egyptian coven, Benjamin would now take lead. He and his wife suffered greatly with Amu's loss. At first, he did not want to join the fight, being forced by Benjamin. But the purity in his soul compelled him to his death as he fought adamantly for what he knew was right. I did not expect his untimely death, shocked as he hurtled himself to his demise to save the Romanians, though he could not save Stefan.  
The next I heard was one of the Amazons. Even the stoicism of these powerful women were broken when they lost their leader, Kachiri. Zafrina projected an image of pure hell onto the murderers, as Senna rabidly tore through them to avenge her death. While they have returned to their stoic stature, it was obvious that a deep pain still tormented them.  
We had also lost some of the wolves, many of whom we did not expect to be in the battle at all. As we struggled to succeed, we were pleasantly surprised to see Sam's large pack join the battle. Leah and Jacob howled in genuflection as the large, ebony wolf and his pack saved the lives of many of our fighters, and skewed the battle slightly in our favor. As the battle ensued, a second howl from the entire pack this time resonated with great pain. Jacob rushed over in an attempt to save Sam, but he was crushed under the pressure of Caius' death grip no wolf could ever survive. It was an unwise move as the entire pack plummeted Caius, not enough body parts flying off of him to ease the painful loss of their leader. As the Volturi's number increased as "spectators" joined the fight, the wolves were quickly outnumbered. And with the enraged Volturi, it was inevitable that more would be lost. It pains me greatly that I cannot provide proper prayers for the others who were lost because I knew not who they were.  
The newest member of the Denali tribe, Garrette, was saved at the last moment when Kate's powers suddenly exploded out of her in a furious storm. Fortunately, he only lost an arm, but in the midst of all the chaos, they had failed to realize that Tanya too, needed help. Before any of us had a chance to notice, she was gone, her body burning in a questionable location. Unable to determine who had destroyed her, Kate and Garette entered a fury, blasting through as many of the Volturi that they could get through to avenge their sister's death. The incredible strength of the one-armed Garette showed how he had truly become a part of the Denali family.  
Several others of Carlisle's closest friends were lost, including his mysterious friend Alistair and the powerful Siobhan. While focusing intently on ensuring that we would be successful, she failed to defend herself from her assailants. While many of the fighters tried very hard to protect her, once Kachiri fell and Gianna was exposed, her two main shields, Zafrina and Fred were lost. Adamant to keep her powers in effect, she was an easy target for a group of vampires that swept her up in flames. Alistair, having originally proclaimed that he would not fight if it were to come to that, surprised us all. Inspired by our arduous struggle, he quickly joined when Carlisle's life was in danger. As the two fought off a horde of powerful fighters, he could feel that some on our side were being compelled by Chelsea's ability. Fearful that we may lose too many fighters, he pummeled through the horde of vampires the wolves kept distracted and somehow managed to destroy Chelsea before he too was set ablaze.  
I also lost my newest friend, Sarah. While we did not have the opportunity to build a very close relationship, she was still important to me because of her involvement with Brad. To the final moment of her life, she wanted only to thank him for everything he had done to protect her. It was thanks to her that he was here in the Cullen's home, stitched carefully together by Carlisle's master hands. It was thanks to the young girl that he even had a chance to make it. She had more than paid her dues, and I would ensure that her gratitude would be shared with Brad.   
While the life of all the vampires could not be rated on importance, Jasper's death was certainly one of the saddest. Watching Alice suffering in the pain of losing her lifelong partner was unbearable, and we all felt the emptiness as his ability to harmoniously balance our emotions was gone. He was a valuable member of the Cullen's, and was a great friend to me. It amazed me how quickly he taught me all I knew, and even more how quickly he changed from wanting to end my brother's life to sacrificing himself in an attempt to save him. He fearlessly led our group in battle against the Volturi and upon organizing the collection of the pieces of my brother, admirably sacrificed himself to distract my brother's assailants long enough for others to procure his body parts.   
One final thing I lost was my budding love for Leah. She tried numerous times to apologize to me, make me understand that everything was not under her control, but all of it was unnecessary. I could see and feel her pain, almost masking the pure and beautiful love she had towards my brother. I could not be angry with her, though she hated herself for what had occurred. I was only glad that she could finally understand how Sam felt, and forgive him just moments before it was too late. In the brief moments leading up to his death, they shared the secret bond of understanding. All I could hope now was that my brother would pull through. Not only for myself, but to bring happiness to Leah and to everyone else who had suffered so much to protect him.


	23. Chapter XI - The Agreement

I woke abruptly in a warm room, covered in soft satin-silk blankets, the sweet smell of roses filling my nostrils. Was this heaven where all your senses are pleasures with positive exposures? I knew I couldn't be living or undead or whatever it was that you call a vampire, for we didn't sleep. If I was waking up, I was once again being reborn, awakening in the bliss I didn't know existed for my monstrous kind.  
"Morning," the mellifluous voice joined the harmony that three out of five senses now enjoyed. I only needed to open my eyes to finally be reunited with the person who meant the world to me.  
"Dave," I smiled gregariously, though I knew this shouldn't be a happy occasion. If I were seeing him again, we had to be dead, but that meant nothing to me as I longed to see him, to finally be with my other half.  
"It's a miracle you pulled through, though I expect nothing less of you," his chuckle flowed melodically, chiming in a magickal way no human voice could travel. I guessed even in the life beyond, we kept our vampire characteristics.  
"Dave..." was all I could say, and I tried to get up, but he held me firmly in the bed.  
"Carlisle says you need rest," he frowned. Rest? Why did we need to rest if we were already dead?  
"He thinks he's dead," I heard Edward's voice from the corner of the room. If he were here, I couldn't be in heaven. Was I in hell? "That's not nice," he chuckled, amused.  
"Why is he here?” I muttered, annoyed.  
"You used to like me a lot," the young vampire frowned, his golden eyes showing affected sorrow. "Bella used to be threatened," he nettled on, testing my patience, which was surprisingly short though I was usually calm in the presence of my brother.  
Angrily, I jumped out of my bed and lunged myself at him. Quickly, he moved from his spot, and I wound up tumbling onto the ground. For a split second I thought of how quick he was, probably a true asset in the battle that had just ended. Then I remembered he could read my thoughts, could determine my every move as soon as I decided them. He may have been a skilled fighter, but I doubted how useful he could be without his little talent.  
"It's quite a shame isn't it?" he taunted, flashing his characteristic grin. He really was a friendly guy, but I still thought he should be burning in hell. Unfortunately for him, I had the capacity to send him there. He may have been aware of this, that I had a skill that no other vampires I knew could do. I smiled at him, and he grunted as I bound his body. I then pinned him against a wall, and Dave shook his head in disappointment, though he was chuckling lightly.   
"I knew you liked him," Bella's laughter rang through the room.  
"Mmm, he smells so sweet," I joked, making a disgusted face as I stepped away from the guy I still thought was an idiot.  
"Ouch," he smiled. "You know sometimes your thoughts can hurt."  
"Then get out of my head," I glowered at him, and they all started laughing. It was nice, like I had a family again. I missed this feeling, and I wanted it to last forever.  
"Ah, he's awake," The gorgeous blonde, Carlisle, walked into the room.   
"And recovered flawlessly, I checked," Edward was still chuckling.   
"I'm glad to see you've made a full recovery," the blonde said in a sincere voice.  
"Thank you for helping me," I replied.   
"I only did what was expected after you selflessly risked your life to aid us all," the man said genuinely, and I almost choked at his seraphic qualities. This was no vampire, he was some kind of angel.  
"We all value him as such," Edward smiled.  
"Are you serious?" I scoffed, completely annoyed. I could feel the young vampire prodding around in my thoughts, and while I could sometimes shield my mind, it wasn't an easy thing to do.  
"Can't you at least pretend you're not listening?" Bella sighed, rolling her eyes, though the smirk on her face clearly showed that she was entertained by her lover's jest. Why wouldn't she be? They were inseparable. "Really Edward, since when did you become so much like Emmett?"  
"Ouch," he pretended to be hurt, and nudged himself closer before pulling the girl into his arms.  
Suddenly, my nostrils flared at the horrible stench of wet dogs that filled the room. I quickly looked over to see four males walk into the room. Were they the ones that had such an unpleasant smell? I studied these four, all overly muscular, intense looks in their eyes that I was so familiar of. They shared the eyes of those wolves, and I wondered if they could be the same creatures. Was shape-shifting a common ability amongst some special group of vampires? The smell would certainly make sense if these men were the wolves, but where was the little grey one that I remembered so well?  
"So you're up," the obvious leader of the pack smiled. His face was familiar, and I knew he was human version of the ruddy wolf. "You gave us quite the scare back there; it would've hurt us a lot to lose you." His concern was genuine, though I didn't know why. Did all the members of the Cullen family suddenly grow some great interest in me?  
"They aren't vampires," Edward explained to me. "They're shape-shifters, werewolves."  
"I thought I told you to stay out of my head?" I looked intently at him and he shrugged.   
"Glad to know someone else dislikes him," the leader shot a glance at Edward before turning back to me. “Leah would like to speak to you."  
“Leah?” I asked quizzically. Then, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen walked into the room. She didn’t have an obvious, pretentious beauty like some of the female vampires. She had a natural beauty, color in her angular cheeks that defined her unique face. Her dark hair fell lightly on her olive shoulders, and her powerful features told me that she wasn’t the type of girl that needed pampering, she could take care of herself.  
“You…” I said, knowing instantly through her beaming eyes that she was the little grey wolf whose fur I wanted to caress. My body moved quickly before my mind could catch up, and the four men behind her growled as they took on defensive poses. But they fell back and relaxed, as my cold hand touched her warm cheek, fiery, intense like the stunning perfection of this woman.  
“Your brother was not kidding when he said you were absolutely flawless,” she said, her voice magickal. She didn’t have the sing-song melodic voice of the vampires. It was more callous, more real, more lively. The sound of her heart racing quickly sent me into a frenzy, and her boiling blood was sweet, burning my throat in a way that I actually enjoyed. I knew she was a wolf, but unlike the others, her smell did not bother me, it was luscious, the intoxicating pureness of muddy earth after a solemn rain.  
“You are quite the paragon of pulchritude yourself,” I whispered to her, unable to release my gaze from her eyes, unable to move my hand from her wonderfully hot cheeks that burned my palm in the same way I knew my touch chilled hers.  
“Okay, I really think I’m going to throw up,” the biggest male made a mocking gagging sound. “I don't even want to see what's going on in her head.” All four of them broke out in chuckles, and Leah glared at them.  
“Yes Jacob, lucky you can’t hear my thoughts,” she said fiercely at them. This was my kind of girl.  
“Okay, this is all a little too weird for me,” Bella said, frowning. “How does a vampire and a wolf even end up together?”  
“Imprinting,” Edward said, as though that word solved all the problems.   
“What the hell is imprinting?” I asked, and I looked at my brother who stared lifelessly at the ground, obvious sorrow washed over his expression.   
“It’s like a soul mate, but stronger. Wolves create an unbreakable bond with a single person, though I’ve never seen them imprint on a vampire," Edward explained.  
“It used to be a legend amongst my people, but suddenly, all the wolves are imprinting, and it doesn’t seem like much of a legend,” Jacob shrugged. “We’d never thought old Leah here would imprint, let alone on someone who actually finds her attractive.” Leah made a fist, and I knew that she was planning to smash his face in, so I quickly grabbed her arm and kissed her hand. She smiled, and instantly all her anger dissipated. Jacob made that same gagging noise again, and this time I thought I would amuse my angel a bit. I looked at the towering male for a split second, and suddenly he was sputtering angry words I didn’t understand as his body fell instantly to the ground.  
“I’m going to get used to this very fast,” Leah chimed, hugging me tightly. Everything about her was perfect, and her muscular, yet slim body fit tightly against mine, like two puzzle pieces made to be together. In this moment of perfection, I could still not remove the feeling of misery exuding from Dave.  
“Dave, you okay?" I asked quizically.  
"Huh?" he broke out of an obvious haze. "Yeah, fine."  
"His powers are a bit cumbersome," Edward frowned, making me uneasy.  
"What does that mean?" I asked, concerned.  
"Nothing...there's more important matters to deal with right now," he said, shaking his head quickly, and an unwanted presence caused me to stir in antipathy.   
"Why are they here!?" I snarled, the noisome smell of the girl I despised most fluttered in the air, breaking me out of the perfect moment I wanted to hold onto. I could sense the diamond formation was finally broken, now a triangle, though the head of the coven had altered. I scowled at the idea of Jane actually stepping down from her position as captain. I pulled Leah closer to me, unwilling to allow them to hurt her more than they already had.  
"They are only here to talk," Carlisle said calmly. "Their numbers have severely diminished and they stand no chance against our powers. They come in peace."  
"Even Jane?" I challenged, and the sincere look on his face faltered, but did not break.  
"She will not be a problem with Bella here," Carlisle frowned, his expression making it obvious that she would try. Unfortunately, he didn't know whether I would control myself.  
"Fortunately, I do," Edward scowled, and I wanted nothing more than to lunge at him again and tear his pathetic body into pieces. I smiled at him as he already knew my desires. I thought I saw him cringe at the image that flashed before his eyes, but he kept his composure.  
"Can we just remember that you're on my side?" he chimed.  
"It would help if you would get out of my head," I scowled.  
"Unfortunately, I hear the voices whether I want to or not," Edward explained. "And Bella is using her powers to shield us all from Jane and Alec. I can hear the thoughts of anyone who stays together in her protective shield, except for hers of course," he smiled at the young girl who I knew would be blushing if blood flowed through her body.  
"Relax, Brad," Dave smiled at me, his voice placating my irritation. "It was my choice to let the witch twins live."  
"What!?" I bellowed out, shocked that he would make such a decision. I could not be angry at him, but I wanted to know what compelled him to do such a thing.  
"I think it would be more meaningful if you let them explain," he nodded at me, no doubt in his face that I would understand. Studying his expression, his taciturn attitude was enough to convince me, but I would let the vile creature talk.  
"So let's see what they have to say," I muttered, reluctantly.  
"I'm glad that you're giving us a chance to explain our actions," the stoic figure, the statue who hardly moved was now filled with life as he walked in. "I'm glad you survived." he added on tactfully at the end.  
"Why?" I muttered with antipathy at the last remaining leader of the Volturi clan. He had a bright smile on his usually lifeless face, and this surprised me slightly.  
"You are my son, are you not?" Marcus asked, his baritone voice was smooth, much more amiable than I would have ever imagined from such a man. While I wanted to passionately deny what he was saying, refusing to believe any member of the Volturi could be my father, I felt a connection to him that held back my spite. I knew the pain he experienced in his hard life, why he was the apathetic drone that followed Aro around, yet rarely moved. Gianna had explained his sad tale to me, the reasons why he would never be happy again.  
His wife, Didyme, was a wonderful person, much like Esme; motherly, loving, and friendly even to her enemies. In a coven like the Volturi, she constantly faced danger, and it was inevitable that a pacifist like her would face an early death. It was hard enough for him to lose his loved one, and Gianna explained that it was harder still for vampires to lose their mate. If that weren't enough, Didyme's mystical powers made losing her even more painful to Marcus. With a soul as pure as hers, it was natural that she be gifted with the talent to share happiness, like some radiant diamond exuding with joy, infecting anyone she came in contact with. Not only did he lose his wife, his mate, his everything, but he was ripped away from the magickal ability that made him smile endlessly.   
After this, he never showed any emotion. At first, he had asked Aro to destroy him, end his miserable life or risk exposure as he would parade around in the heart of Italy at the crack of dawn, killing until his death was promulgated. But, knowing his strength, his intelligence, and newfound stoicism, Aro was unwilling to lose this tin soldier, so he had Chelsea bind Marcus to the Volturi. Knowing his painful trauma, understanding all that he had gone through, I could not do anything that would take away the smile that had not touched his stern face for centuries.  
"I'm sure you of all people can understand my story," the young blonde now spoke. He stepped in front of his sister, something I rarely saw and from the look on her face, she didn't like it.  
"How could I possibly understand?" I spat out, still reluctant to believe that my brother had made an intelligent decision.  
"When Jane and I were children-"  
"You are children," I muttered angrily.  
"Brad, please?" my brother insisted. He really wanted me to hear this.  
"I believe I am a few centuries older than you," Alec smiled, his much more genuine and friendly than the demonic gaze of the other. "Our parents passed when we were young, I'm sure you can relate." I winced at his words as the memory of my mother crept up from the collection of repressed thoughts I was sure Aro had discovered.  
"Get to the point," I was losing my patience.  
"Our new father was-"  
"He was hardly a father," Jane was clearly angry and I was sure she held some violent secrets.  
"Jane," the brother cracked a smiled at her, and she seemed to ease up a bit. Was he using his powers to keep her in check? "As I was saying, our new father was very old-fashioned. He was quite the chauvinist, seeing potential in me as a male and abusing poor Jane like some tool." I didn't know how I felt about his using "poor" as an adjective for the devil child, but I also never thought she could be abused.  
"I had the best childhood, but was constantly tormented by the pain and suffering my sister faced every living moment of her life," he spoke quickly, his voice shaking with painful reminiscence. "He loved me, pampered me, gave me everything I needed and wanted, but Jane..." he looked at his sister who stared apathetically at the wall. Did he block her hearing to ensure she would not be writhing in the agonizing memories?  
"She had a new mark every night," Alec continued. "Eventually she grew stronger, could hold back the tears, but even then some days it was too much. She would break down in tears and I knew what he did to her. I knew how he stole her innocence, murdered her spirit, left her an empty carcass with nothing but burning wrath and pain in her body. I wanted to help, but there was nothing I could do.  
"I couldn't handle seeing her like this anymore, and I had to escape. I had to get stronger, learn how to protect my sister. I didn't know that protecting her would put her at an even greater risk. As a young child being brutally abused by your father, you think that nothing could be worse. Desperate, I walked through the empty streets, searching for something I couldn't have known. What was I doing? Possibly looking for a hit man or some other equal disgrace, but how could I have expected this? I was lucky. They saw me as weak, a desperate child only deserving death, but this one man, Eleazar was my savior. He convinced the Volturi that I was powerful, brimming with the strength of desire, a passion so fervent that it would grow into immense capacity. I didn't know what he was talking about, but suddenly I was burning in fiery pain.  
"I can't imagine what she went through for the days that I was gone. I was sure the beatings grew worse; he must have blamed her for my disappearance. All this was lingering in my thoughts for some time, but eventually, I no longer cared. I lost interest as a stronger desire inundated my perceptions: the thirst, the need to feed. I was only reminded of my hapless sister when I met Aro. He saw everything in my mind, the abuse, the neglect, my treasure that I left forgotten. He wanted her, he wanted to reunite us, so interested in the potential of Vampire twins, something he'd never seen before. Stupidly, I didn't refuse. I thought if she was one of us, nobody could hurt her again.  
"But she wouldn't stop screaming. The burning that should have diminished after the conversion was complete, remained adamant in her small body. She lived with the torment daily, escaping the rancor of our ersatz father, only to destroy herself with her own pain and fury. Eleazar knew, he could feel the immensity of her ability, the absolute malady that overwhelmed her body, the possibility of projecting this blight to others. Once again, I stood helplessly watching her as Aro delighted in her suffering. He was our new father, and no different than the one we had just escaped.  
"When she could finally muster up enough strength to move, she had to feed wildly, more than the others. She needed more energy to deal with the fire that burned incessantly in her abused mind. When she learned to share this pain, Aro instantly fell in love with her ability. She became number one in his army, and she thrived in the attention and dissembled affection she received. She wasn't used to being desired, and Aro's love, though it was only to her powers, made her loyally bound to him. She followed his every order like some slave dog, and I could not refuse to work with her. I had to protect her in every way I could, having failed her numerous times already.  
"That was when my powers became salient. Nobody understood the intensity of my ability until they felt it. The nothingness that overcame them as my silent mist robbed them of all their senses. Jane and I became the treasured jewels of the Volturi clan, and while she loved it, I knew it was fake, the emotions only in context with our fearful powers. We became the first order enforcement of the Volturi.  
"My powers, the ability to block all pain, her antidote. It was engendered by my desire to help her, salve the misery she faced for too long. The need to help her and save her made me strong, gave me the one true gift that could finally free her. After everything we faced, she would finally understand what it was like to live. This was all that I wanted, to free her, but life was not so kind. My ferocious ability, the numbing sensation that could heal her, ameliorate her cynicism and return her to the innocent beauty she once was; it worked on everyone and everything, to Aro, Caius, Marcus, everyone. I could numb them all and free everyone from their woes, except the one person who mattered. The whole reason my powers were born, the reason to my existence, I was powerless."  
Suddenly it all made sense to me. The ire that flowed through her body, the complete feeling of hatred. The burning that she inflicted on everyone, making them motionless as they writhed in pain. The difference was that she could make their pain stop, but hers stayed with her forever. That fearful power she had was burdening her mind. I could finally empathize with Alec, understand how he felt, for I was going through the same thing. I understood his comparison, how similar we were. We both shared the failure of saving what was most important to us. We tormented ourselves in the fiery pit of our regret, of all the mistakes we made, the entirety of the blame on us as we ended the peaceful lives of the ones most important to us. All we wanted was to be able to return to our innocent lives, no worry of some unexpected death. I wondered how similar David and Jane were.  
Alec's powers worked on the physical manifestations of his target, numbing all five senses, while Jane targeted the mental being, burning their mind in unquestionable pain. His ability did not affect him, but hers boggled her mind in chaotic madness. Me, I controlled the physical world, crafting my future, controlling the ground, air, everything. My brother, he could compel the spiritual world, the mental, have anyone do his bidding. I suffered no pain in the safety of my terrestrial land, but did he face the same intense terror as Jane? He couldn't be safe in the ethereal world, nobody could be. I hated to think of the possibility that I was living in a perfect world as he perished in the distress of his powers.  
"How much does it hurt?" I asked him through gritted teeth, barely able to make out the words. He looked at me with kind eyes, and I could see the ache burgeoning in the glowing golden orbs.   
"It's different from her," he said quickly, shielding his eyes from my penetrating glare. It was obvious he tried to hide the truth as I expected he would.  
"Edward," I snarled, expecting the same avoidance from him, but desperate for veracity.  
"He suffers, but he can control it," he replied.  
"And I can't do anything," nobody had to tell me that I was helpless. No one had to explain my phenomenal powers could do nothing to diminish the mysterious maelstrom that ate away at my brother. I couldn't determine the extent to his pain, so how could I begin to appreciate what he faced daily?  
I looked over at the phlegmatic blonde, still staring at the same spot. No expression touched her impregnable face, though I knew she heard every word that had been spoken. Could she so inhumanely be unaffected by her brother's desire to protect her, or did the ire burn away all emotions she could possibly have? Suddenly, the only thing I wanted was to take away her pain, even for a second, to allow her to see her brother, see how much he cared, see life as it really was. If I couldn't give David everything I wanted to give him, I at least wanted Alec to be able to do this for Jane.  
"I don't think it will help," Edward scowled, but I ignored him.  
I continued to stare at Jane, glare through her crimson eyes. She snarled wildly when I took over her tiny body. As she lost control, she blasted me with immense fury, pain more unbearable than I had ever felt her instill in my mind. She was angry, angry that I would use my powers against her. She hated not being in control, and she projected all her wrath at me, refusing to lose. I tried to remind myself that her powers were only mental, unable to hurt me, but I felt my body blazing until I could see kindling flames. Could she really kill me?  
"Alec," I could barely hear her cries through the inferno that engulfed me. Her voice was its usual childish trill, but this time it was significantly different. It lacked the demonic curse that usually plagued it. She no longer felt the pain, she was freed from the burning fire within her, for it was nestled in my accepting body. I could not hold it for long, and the flames quickly receded as they returned to Jane's body.  
"Thank you," Alec's voice trembled as he held the weeping girl tightly. At least one of us got our wish, and now their bond would be stronger than ever. He pulled his sister closer as she poured out her emotions, the traumatic anguish slowly emanated from her little body, and he happily accepted it into his. It didn't matter to me how happy I made these two, for I could do nothing for David.  
"He knows how you feel," Edward tried to console me. "It's different for you two.  
"How would you feel if Bella had your powers?" I challenged. He frowned. I didn't have to speak for him to identify with how I felt, but I needed to say the words to ease my own hurt. "How would you feel if she suddenly felt all you did and you had her incredible shield, the power to block her from all the random thoughts, but it didn't work on her? How would you feel knowing her powers incessantly tortured her mind, and you had the powers to stop it for everyone but her?"  
"Brad, it's not like that," David smiled, but he didn't fool me. Mind control was often the most frightening ability in any folklore I knew. Every feeling, every thought of a target's mind could flood through you as you lose control with reality. Quickly, you forget what was really you, no longer being able to determine whether you walked in your own flesh, thought your own thoughts, acted in the way you desired, or if everything belonged to someone else. If my brother faced anything like this, it would hurt me more than anything.  
"If only I could take it all away," I spoke of the implausible. "I can see the suffering in your eyes."  
"Brad..." he couldn't say any more, and I wondered just how bad it was. "I know if there were any way to make it stop, you'd want nothing more," he finally admitted, and I felt the same trembling agony of Jane's powers stabbing at me.  
"Bradley," my brother never used my full name and I knew how serious he was being.   
"None of this is your fault, and to be completely honest, I'm happy with my new life." his salient smile told me just how happy he really was. "I want you to know how thankful I am to have a brother like you. I'm the luckiest guy alive, and I know for a fact that these are my feelings and not someone else's."  
"David..." my voice was barely audible, but my brother pulled me into a tight embrace, not wanting me to say any more.   
"Then perhaps we can come to some agreement," Marcus interjected.  
"An agreement," now Carlisle spoke up, interest marked on his tired face.  
"A treaty, quite similar to the ones you share with the wolves," Marcus grinned, and the five werewolves growled as he said the word.  
"A treaty? That could be arranged," Carlisle smiled.  
"The Volturi must continue to enforce the rules amongst the vampires, lest we risk exposure," Marcus explained. "But I understand you will be reluctant in letting our numbers grow again. I shall reassure you that we mean no harm to the Cullens, and we expect the same in return."  
"How can we trust them?" Bella asked, glowering at Jane, sharing the same feelings I'm sure the entire room felt.  
"A treaty is not easily broken, especially among friends," Carlisle said coolly. "I remember making a treaty long ago that seemed overflowing with skepticism, yet it turned out to be quite the opposite of what was expected," with those words, he turned to smile to Jacob who flashed his pearly whites.  
"I don't think it's a bad idea," Jacob said credulously with a warm smile. "And if they try something funny, we can always break their necks."  
"I will ensure that the treaty remains unbroken," Marcus nodded.  
"As will I on our half," Carlisle bowed respectfully. I couldn't believe the way things had turned out, but I still doubted the integrity of the agreement. While it was clear that Marcus respected the Cullens deeply, not having been involved in the fight to begin with, I couldn't see how Jane or Alec would work under him. Aro had his many minions that would force Jane to work for him, but it seemed as though the witch twins could easily turn against Marcus, then train an army to come and destroy the Cullens in vengeance or perhaps fear. I could no longer think of Jane with complete animosity, but it didn't mean I trusted her any more.  
I couldn't get my mind to function correctly, not being as mentally adept as my brother. I tried to think of a solution that would ensure the treaty would be incapable of being broken, but the smiles on the witches told me they had something else in mind. Without Bella, they could easily tear through Marcus, and something inside me wanted to protect him. He was the closest thing I ever had to a father, and I wasn't about to risk his death. There was only one possibility that could keep the twins in check.  
Edward eyed me in disbelief as I pondered over what was quite possibly the worst decision I've ever made. He shook his head at me, and I appreciated his keeping my thoughts private as I worked on how I could voice my decision, to break my brother's heart once again. I chuckled lightly at the idea, remembering he no longer had a heart.  
"Is something wrong?" David frowned at me.  
"It will be," I sighed. I could not keep my eyes on him, for I could feel his sadness exuding out of him. It didn't take long for his intelligent and creative mind to piece together what was happening. Sometimes I wondered if he shared Edward's powers throughout our entire life together, or if he really was just the most empathetic creature to ever exist.  
"Bradley, please don't do this," he begged, already knowing what I wanted to say.  
"Do what? What's going on?" Bella stared straight at Edward. Thankfully, he remained quiet.  
"Bradley, I just got you back," he said, placing his hands on my shoulders. I knew they should be cold and hard, but against my marble body they felt warm, velvet-soft.  
"It's the only way," I said reluctantly, still not daring to look at his pained face.  
"Can someone please explain to me what's going on?" Bella continued.  
"I've decided to join the Volturi," I finally said, and my brother flinched at the name of the coven that should have been his enemy.  
"What!?" Bella shouted out. "Are you crazy!?"  
"What makes you think you can join so easily?" Jane snarled, clearly unhappy with the idea.  
"This is the only way to ensure the treaty remains valid," I spoke quickly, not wanting to change my mind. "If Dave and I are in the opposing covens of the pact, it will forever remain unbroken."  
"I can't allow this," David shook his head.  
"Dave," I finally looked into his pain-filled eyes. It hurt me immensely, but I had to be strong. This was the only way I could ensure that the Cullens would remain protected, that Marcus would be happy, that nothing would ever threaten David again. "The Cullens are your family, you must protect them."  
"I need to protect you too," he challenged.  
"I need to keep Marcus safe," I ignored his comment. "I know this is going to be difficult, but it's the best way. I can keep my eyes on the Volturi, make sure they stay true to their virtues, and you can be with the Cullens, finally be in the big family you always dreamed of."  
"You are my family," he said, refusing to let go of me.  
"And we always will be," I smiled. He sighed. Like before, he knew that once I made my decision, he could do nothing to sway me. I felt the same pain that resonated in me when I first left him at New York City. I was the most selfish person, hurting him countless times for all that I wanted. Everything that happened was my fault; if I never went to Dartmouth, if I stayed with my brother from the start, none of this would've happened. We would both be living innocent, happy lives as normal humans, together.  
"You can't blame any of this on yourself," Edward said sympathetically. David sighed when he heard this, and I wondered if I were grateful Edward shared my thoughts, or if I were annoyed as always.  
"You're the biggest idiot if you're thinking you're being selfish now," David chuckled, and he tousled my hair playfully. "I know you're doing this for us. That's pretty selfless of you to break away from me just to keep the Cullens safe!" I knew he was hurting inside, but I appreciated the levity in his behavior.  
"Thank you, David," I smiled.  
"Please take care of yourself," he looked at me with a weak smile.  
"I'll keep an eye on him," I heard a familiar voice.  
"Gianna!" I shouted gleefully as the woman who shared every minute of this painful experience walked over to me.  
"May we join your coven?" Gianna asked. Isaac and the radiant blonde, Fred, stood by her side. They both bowed in genuflection.  
"Please don't do that," I frowned. I was honored that Gianna, Isaac and Fred wanted to come with me, but I could not let them ruin their lives. "Stay with the Cullens, please."  
"After everything you've done for me, I must spend the remaining eternity of my life ensuring that you are safe," The dark-haired woman smiled at me. "The Cullens are great people who I truly respect, but they are not my family."  
"And I owe you nothing less for all you've done protecting my mother," Fred bowed again.  
"And I owe you nothing less after sparing my life!" Isaac smiled brightly. “And cleverly at that!” he added, chuckling.  
"Okay okay!" I said, feeling extremely awkward and embarrassed. I was glad vampires could not blush, but I felt heavily self-conscious. "Just please stop acting like I'm your master or something."  
"As you wish," Gianna bowed and chuckled lightly.  
"You cannot possibly agree to this," Jane said pompously to Marcus who now fashioned a fervent smile.  
"I can't possibly disagree!" he guffawed loudly. "How quickly the strength of the Volturi returns! And how immensely interesting it is that you successfully tricked Aro into believing you have rid Isaac."  
"What about Sarah?" I asked, recalling my brother shouting her name out during the battle. Studying the expression on everyone's faces, I knew that she was no longer with us. though I was deeply wounded in losing someone so close to me, I did not want to bring sorrow onto what should be a celebration. Leah wrapped her arms around me in support, and I shook my head. "Not important," I lied, my voice cracking slightly.   
"I will go as well," Leah said, her voice soothing my sorrow.   
"I can't let you come," I shook my head. While it pained my quickly blossoming love to have to leave her behind, I couldn't risk bringing her into the dangers of the Volturi until we got Jane and Alec under control. Jacob's loud roars of laughter penetrated through my thoughts.  
"You have no choice, kiddo," he said between chuckles. "She's imprinted on you. And she has to go with you - alpha's orders."  
"Imprinted..." I was still confused about the whole topic. Was it only this wolf thing that made me feel zealous towards her, or was it true love? Either way, it seemed like some ridiculous fairy tale that was too hard to believe.  
"A werewolf on the side of the Volturi, now that is quite something, isn't it Jane?" Marcus poked at the girl, obviously trying to irritate her. It made me smile a bit as I realized how much I really liked Marcus.  
"I have a threshold to my tolerance of stupidity," the girl spat out angrily.  
"How funny," Leah smiled wickedly. "I have a threshold to my tolerance of bitch." I instantly knew I loved the wolf, imprint or not.   
"Leah!" A huge smile crossed Jacob's face as he held his stomach tightly as though holding back a fierce laugh. She looked at him quizzically and he shook frantically as he fought off breaking into laughter. "Definitely better than Paul." he said before cackling wildly. She grinned. I didn't get the meaning to what he had just said, but I understood its importance to her, as I saw only happiness in the beautiful face of my newly found lover. I tightened my grip around her waist, and nervously gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. To my surprise, she quickly wiped away a droplet of tear that had escaped from the left corner of her eye.  
"Leah?" I asked, worried.  
"She's not used to being accepted, let alone loved," Jacob continued snickering and he quickly stumbled back as though expecting her to punch him. He gasped as the heel of her foot crashed down on his back in a quick roundhouse even I did not see.  
"Ouch," one of his pack members said, though he was clearly unconcerned of the male who lay groaning on the ground.  
"You're spectacular," I suddenly pulled her body tightly against mine and pressed my lips hard against hers, fiery, smoky, the polar opposite of my cold, frosty body, but everything identical to my infernal temper. I finally understood the intense love that Edward and Bella shared as I now experienced the same.  
"I knew you would like her," my brother chuckled lightly, and suddenly the whole room filled with peaceful laughter. Even Alec joined in, and I could see the smallest grin creep up on the corner of Jane's mouth, nothing like the smile she used to inflict pain. She quickly turned her back to me and crossed her arms, though I thought I heard a little snicker in her fake, innocent voice. Though we knew that many lives had been lost, and my brother and I would be separated once again, this was a happy occasion. The Cullens and Volturi would never wage war again. 

THE END

Written by Ryo Higuchi-Sanabria


End file.
